lengro
took the money with great glee, observing--"These five shillings I will
take to the public-house forthwith, and spend in drinking with four of my
brethren, and doing so will give me an opportunity of telling the
landlord that I have found a customer for his horse, and that you are the
man. It will be as well to secure the horse as soon as possible; for
though the dook tells me that the horse is intended for you, I have now
and then found that the dook is, like myself, somewhat given to lying."

He then departed, and I remained alone in the dingle. I thought at first
that I had committed a great piece of folly in consenting to purchase
this horse; I might find no desirable purchaser for him until the money
in my possession should be totally exhausted, and then I might be
compelled to sell him for half the price I had given for him, or be even
glad to find a person who would receive him at a gift; I should then
remain sans horse, and indebted to Mr. Petulengro. Nevertheless, it was
possible that I might sell the horse very advantageously, and by so
doing, obtain a fund sufficient to enable me to execute some grand
enterprise or other. My present way of life afforded no prospect of
support, whereas the purchase of the horse did afford a possibility of
bettering my condition, so, after all, had I not done right in consenting
to purchase the horse? The purchase was to be made with another person's
property it is true, and I did not exactly like the idea of speculating
with another person's property, but Mr. Petulengro had thrust his money
upon me, and if I lost his money, he could have no one but himself to
blame; so I persuaded myself that I had upon the whole done right, and
having come to that persuasion I soon began to enjoy the idea of finding
myself on horseback again, and figured to myself all kinds of strange
adventures which I should meet with on the roads before the horse and I
should part company.

CHAPTER XIX.

TRYING THE HORSE--THE FEATS OF TAWNO--MAN WITH THE RED WAISTCOAT--DISPOSAL
OF PROPERTY.

I saw nothing more of Mr. Petulengro that evening--on the morrow,
however, he came and informed me that he had secured the horse for me,
and that I was to go and pay for it at noon. At the hour appointed,
therefore, I went with Mr. Petulengro and Tawno to the public, where, as
before, there was a crowd of company. The landlord received us in the
bar with marks of much satisfaction and esteem,