fellow!" said he, a
few moments after I had passed, "whose horse is that? Stop! I want to
look at him!" Though confident that he was addressing himself to me, I
took no notice, remembering the advice of the ostler, and proceeded up
the street. My horse possessed a good walking step; but walking, as the
reader knows, was not his best pace, which was the long trot, at which I
could not well exercise him in the street, on account of the crowd of men
and animals; however, as he walked along, I could easily perceive that he
attracted no slight attention amongst those who, by their jockey dress
and general appearance, I imagined to be connoisseurs; I heard various
calls to stop, to none of which I paid the slightest attention. In a few
minutes I found myself out of the town, when, turning round for the
purpose of returning, I found I had been followed by several of the
connoisseur-looking individuals, whom I had observed in the fair. "Now
would be the time for a display," thought I; and looking around me I
observed two five-barred gates, one on each side of the road, and
fronting each other. Turning my horse's head to one, I pressed my heels
to his sides, loosened the reins, and gave an encouraging cry, whereupon
the animal cleared the gate in a twinkling. Before he had advanced ten
yards in the field to which the gate opened, I had turned him round, and
again giving him cry and rein, I caused him to leap back again into the
road, and still allowing him head, I made him leap the other gate; and
forthwith turning him round, I caused him to leap once more into the
road, where he stood proudly tossing his head, as much as to say, "What
more?" "A fine horse! a capital horse!" said several of the
connoisseurs. "What do you ask for him?" "Too much for any of you to
pay," said I. "A horse like this is intended for other kind of customers
than any of you." "How do you know that?" said one; the very same person
whom I had heard complaining in the street of the paucity of good horses
in the fair. "Come, let us know what you ask for him?" "A hundred and
fifty pounds!" said I; "neither more nor less." "Do you call that a
great price?" said the man. "Why, I thought you would have asked double
that amount! You do yourself injustice, young man." "Perhaps I do,"
said I, "but that's my affair; I do not choose to take more." "I wish
you would let me get into the saddle," said the man; "the horse knows
you, and therefore shows