" THE KNIGHT HE SAT ERECT AND FAIR." 451 



being able to make a broken-winded one fit to be 

 examined by your friend. 



The "a??2f" came ; the '■'' valet d^ecurie^^ came; the 

 saddle and bridle (such a saddle ! a kind of " demi- 

 pique " resuscitated), the bridle half red velvet and sil- 

 ver buckles, came — no matter; the money came. Out 

 of kindness to the horse, I desired the French groom 

 not to give him any cold water that day. Those ini- 

 tiated in such matters will know why : the groom did 

 not. 11 faut qiCil Vapprenne, thinks I. The groom 

 mounted, rode off " en dragon," stiff as a poker. 

 Monsieur I'ami walking by his side, and, as I saw. 

 Frenchman-like, stopping ten times in the street to 

 show le beau cheval to some friend. Tout a Vheure^ 

 tout a Vheure^ thought I. 



The next evenino; Vami waited on me, beo:2:ino; I 

 would go with him to look at the horse. " Volontiers, 

 Monsieur^^^ and away we went. I found him of course 

 blowing away like a blacksmith's bellows. What was 

 de mattere ? vas de horse indispose? " Eh., non ; Mon- 

 sieur,'^ said I, " il estpoussif; voila tout.'' " Poussif^pous- 



sif!^' cried Monsieur le . " Sacre ! do I hear 



you right? you say de hors is what you call broke in 

 de vind, — do I hear clat?" — " Yes," said I, " you 

 do;" and thinks I to myself, Madame will hear it too 

 occasionally if she rides him. Monsieur assured me he 

 had no idea of the horse being so when he bought it. 

 I freely expressed my conviction that this was cor- 

 rect. Yat vas he to do? " Ce n'est pas nion affaire 

 cela^' said I. 



Doubtless my reader has seen two Frenchmen in a 

 passion ; but to see two most passionate ones in a re- 

 gular white-heat rage is really a treat. Now, says I, 

 for the coup'de-thedtre. I reminded Monsieur of 



