" "I bring a letter to him," said
I, pulling out the surgeon's epistle. "I wish you would deliver it
to him," I added, offering a half-crown. "Oh, it's you, is it?"
said the ostler, taking the letter and the half-crown; "my master
will be right glad to see you; why, you ha'n't been here for many a
year; I'll carry the note to him at once." And with these words he
hurried into the house. "That's a nice horse, young man," said
another ostler, "what will you take for it?" to which interrogation
I made no answer. "If you wish to sell him," said the ostler,
coming up to me, and winking knowingly, "I think I and my partners
might offer you a summut under seventy pounds;" to which kind and
half-insinuated offer I made no reply, save by winking in the same
kind of knowing manner in which I observed him wink. "Rather
leary!" said a third ostler. "Well, young man, perhaps you will
drink to-night with me and my partners, when we can talk the matter
over." Before I had time to answer, the landlord, a well-dressed,
good-looking man, made his appearance with the ostler; he bore the
letter in his hand. Without glancing at me, he betook himself at
once to consider the horse, going round him, and observing every
point with the utmost minuteness. At last, having gone round the
horse three times, he stopped beside me, and keeping his eyes on
the horse, bent his head towards his right shoulder.
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