the absolute folly of giving up one
thing before another was begun, and of the merits of Fred Pepper's
little horse. "A clever little animal, Mr. Pepper," said the great
man, "a very clever little animal; but I wish you wouldn't bring so
many clever un's down here, Mr. Pepper."

"Why not, Horsball?" asked Cox.

"Because he interferes with my trade," said Mr. Horsball, laughing.
It was supposed, nevertheless, that Mr. Horsball and Mr. Pepper quite
understood each other. Before the evening was over, a price had been
fixed, and Ralph had bought the little horse for L130. Why shouldn't
he take another winter out of himself? He could not marry Mary Bonner
and get into a farm all in a day,--nor yet all in a month. He would
go to work honestly with the view of settling himself; but let him
be as honest about it as he might, his winter's hunting would not
interfere with him. So at last he assured himself. And then he had
another argument strong in his favour. He might hunt all the winter
and yet have this thirty thousand pounds,--nay, more than thirty
thousand pounds at the end of it. In fact, imprudent and foolish as
had been his hunting in all previous winters, there would not even
be any imprudence in this winter's hunting. Fortified by all these
unanswerable arguments he did buy Mr. Fred Pepper's little horse.

On the next morning, the morning of the day on which he was to return
to town, the arguments did not seem to be so irresistible, and he
almost regretted what he had done. It was not that he would be ruined
by another six months' fling at life. Situated as he now was so much
might be allowed to him almost without injury. But then how can a man
trust in his own resolutions before he has begun to keep them,--when,
at the very moment of beginning, he throws them to the winds for the
present, postponing everything for another hour? He knew as well as
any one could tell him that he was proving himself to be unfit for
that new life which he was proposing to himself. When one man is
wise and another foolish, the foolish man knows generally as well
as does the wise man in what lies wisdom and in what folly. And the
temptation often is very slight. Ralph Newton had hardly wished to
buy Mr. Pepper's little horse. The balance of desire during the whole
evening had lain altogether on the other side. But there had come
a moment in which he had yielded, and that moment governed all the
other minutes. We may almost say that a man