" and at once it appeared set his
wits to work to obtain the object. A few hours after the conversation,
the fellow brought in from his waggon some boxes of fancy goods, and
endeavoured to induce the landlady to purchase. This, however, no doubt
prompted by her husband, she resolutely refused, and he had them removed
to his room upstairs, as is customary. After breakfast, the following
morning, he called the landlady aside and said he forgot the day before
to show her a fancy quilt of superior workmanship, and if she would only
look at it he would be satisfied, as it was one of great beauty. She
consented to this, and the man at once went to his waggon, which was now
at the door, he being about to start, and brought in a box which
contained, amongst numerous other articles, the quilt he had been
eulogizing. The landlady was much taken with its appearance, and after
some little persuasion consented to become the purchaser. Accordingly,
the bargain was concluded, and the balance between his tavern bill and
the article in question was handed over at the hotel bar to the pedlar,
who at once started from the house, the landlord on his doing so
jocosely remarking on the conversation of the previous day, in reply to
which the wily pedlar observed, that "he guessed it was all right." Soon
after the man left, the landlady called her spouse to the inner room,
and showing him her bargain, said she had been induced to buy the quilt,
because it was an exact match for the one in the large room up-stairs.
This led to a female help (as servants are there called), being
despatched to the room to fetch and compare the original with that newly
purchased. The girl speedily returned in the greatest consternation,
saying it had vanished. The truth now became apparent; the artful pedlar
had actually sold the landlady her own quilt!

This ludicrous circumstance led to the confusion I had noticed when I
arrived; the man had gone they knew not whither, and had it been
possible to overtake him, I question whether he would have been pursued,
the cleverness of the trick being highly applauded by the company, and
the landlord feeling, perhaps, ashamed of being outwitted a second time,
after himself giving the challenge. The ingenuity of American pedlars in
cozening their countrymen, has long been proverbial, and in general,
people are wary of them; they have, however, I suppose by long
practice, become such adepts at roguery, that however alive to th