THE lion's share. 411 



taken 38/., where he had no duty to pay. Now if 

 Nick buys, he stops the 2/. from the seller on paying 

 him : if the purchaser pays, he draws it from him ; 

 so either way Nick gets 2/. in his hand. Some people 

 (like the malignant ones I have mentioned) might say 

 they wonder if the 2/. ever leaves it. I say of course 

 it does ; it goes to Government, unless in the hurry 

 of business he might on such an occasion forget to 

 pay it over. Should he do so, there is 21. as clear as 

 2/. can be. Now, in selling again, suppose Nick 

 should sell a horse for a dealer at 45/., for which the 

 dealer had given 40/. the same day : the dealer would, 

 in one case, have to pay out of it 40.?. duty, 455. com- 

 mission to Nick for selling him, and say 2s. to Nick's 

 men, making 4/. 7.5. : so he would only get 13s. profit 

 after all. If the dealer bought where the owner pays 

 the duty, he would make 2/. 7s. by his purchase, but, 

 in the latter case, he would have given 2/. more out 

 of the horse's value than where the buyer pays. So 

 the hi. additional is not always to be got ; if he takes 

 3/. advance on the price, he still makes but the 13s. 

 or thereabouts. Now, if Nick buys, he has 2/. in 

 hand, which he may forget to hand over ; he stops of 

 course 2/. more for selling the horse to hbiself. If 

 he is fortunate enough to sell him at 45/., this really 

 looks like 9/. made — at least many people will think 

 so; but I say it is only 7/., for such is my confidence 

 in Nick, that I say he will not forget the 2/. duty : 

 I would bet my life he would not forget it, not he!* 

 Let us suppose Nickem not to be able to bring down 

 the price of a customer's horse to what he wants him 



* Since writing the fii'st edition of tliis work the auction duty 

 has ceased : Nickems therefore now substitute other sources of 

 profit in lieu of the one above alluded to. 



