A DEAR HORSE. 289 



a man must be badly off for friends if he cannot find 

 one who will take this trouble for him. But then the 

 money must be forthcoming ; promises or " bits of 

 stiff" won't do for men who will take a reasonable 

 profit, and want their money to go to market with ; 

 for " bits of stiff" won't do there either. 



A friend of mine, who is a very fair judge of a 

 horse, two years since merely wanted one to carry 

 him safely and pleasantly on the road : he rides heavy, 

 is a liberal man, so was willing to pay a liberal price, 

 and he did so (very considerably more than a hun- 

 dred). The horse did not suit him, though what 

 the dealer said of him could not be contradicted (for 

 pleasantness in riding is rather a vague and indefinite 

 expression, depending so much on ideas as to what is 

 pleasant). He was immediately changed : money 

 changed hands also, of course. The new purchase 

 did not suit either ; was most civilly (I beg the 

 dealer's pardon for the term as applied to him) — 

 well, then, most politely — changed also, and the 

 difference in price as politely taken. This went on 

 till my friend, despairing of getting a riding-horse, 

 and wanting a match carriage-horse, took one, I 

 believe, this time without giving money, and he got a 

 fair useful ordinary carriage-horse. He told me 

 some time afterwards, that, on looking to his memo- 

 randa, he had given, first cost and differences of 

 exchange, an amount during the time that made this 

 carriage-horse stand him in a trifle over 600/., and 

 he is a man who strictly adheres to the truth. 

 " Champagne for ever ! " 



I have said that many men are really at a loss 

 where to find a horse if they want him. These are 



VOL. I. u 



