contracted," said the professor, pointing out the well-planted foot of
his own animal.

"What ought I to pay for a horse?" pursued my friend, struggling to fix
the points given by the professor in a mind hitherto unused to points of
the kind.

"Well, horses are cheap, now; and you ought to get a fair family
horse--You want a family horse?"

"Yes."

"Something you can ride and drive both? Something your children can
drive?"

"Yes, yes."

"Well, you ought to get such a horse as that for a hundred and
twenty-five dollars."

This was the figure my friend had thought of; he drew a breath of
relief. "Where did you buy your horse?"

"Oh, I always get my horses"--the plural abashed my friend--"at the
Chevaliers'. If you throw yourself on their mercy, they'll treat you
well. I'll send you a note to them."

"Do!" cried my friend, as the professor sprang upon his horse, and
galloped away.

My friend walked home encouraged; his purpose of buying a horse had not
seemed so monstrous, at least to this hardened offender. He now began to
announce it more boldly; he said right and left that he wished to buy a
horse, but that he would not go above a hundred. This was not true, but
he wished to act prudently, and to pay a hundred and twenty-five only in
extremity. He carried the professor's note to the Chevaliers', who duly
honored it, understood at once what my friend wanted, and said they
would look out for him. They were sorry he had not happened in a little
sooner,--they had just sold the very horse he wanted. I may as well say
here that they were not able to find him a horse, but that they used him
with the strictest honor, and that short of supplying his want they were
perfect.

In the mean time the irregular dealers began to descend upon him, as
well as amateurs to whom he had mentioned his wish for a horse, and his
premises at certain hours of the morning presented the effect of a
horse-fair, or say rather a museum of equine bricabrac. At first he
blushed at the spectacle, but he soon became hardened to it, and liked
the excitement of driving one horse after another round the block, and
deciding upon him. To a horse, they had none of the qualities commended
by the professor, but they had many others which the dealers praised.
These persons were not discouraged when he refused to buy, but
cheerfully returned the next day with others differently ruinous. They
were men of a spirit more obliging than my friend has fou