be of little consequence whether they had
pieces of metal with heads upon them or not. But this conversation has
lasted long enough at present; and, as you are now going to bed, I
daresay Miss Simmons will be so good as to defer the remainder of her
story until to-morrow.

The next day Tommy rose before his father and mother; and, as his
imagination had been forcibly acted on by the description he had heard
of the Arabian horsemen, he desired his little horse might be saddled,
and that William, his father's man, would attend him upon a ride.
Unfortunately for Tommy, his vivacity was greater than his reason, and
his taste for imitation was continually leading him into some mischief
or misfortune. He had no sooner been introduced into the acquaintance of
genteel life, than he threw aside all his former habits, and longed to
distinguish himself as a most accomplished young gentleman. He was now,
in turn, sickened and disgusted with fashionable affectation; and his
mind, at leisure for fresh impressions, was ready to catch at the first
new object which occurred. The idea, therefore, which presented itself
to his mind, as soon as he opened his eyes, was that of being an Arabian
horseman. Nothing, he imagined, could equal the pleasure of guiding a
fiery steed over those immense and desolate wastes which he had heard
described. In the meantime, as the country where he wished to exhibit
was at too great a distance, he thought he might excite some applause
even upon the common before his father's house.

Full of this idea he rose, put on his boots, and summoned William to
attend him. William had been too much accustomed to humour all his
caprices to make any difficulty of obeying him; and as he had often
ridden out with his young master before, he did not foresee the least
possible inconvenience. But the maternal care of Mrs Merton had made it
an indispensable condition with her son, that he should never presume to
ride with spurs; and she had strictly enjoined all the servants never to
supply him with those dangerous accoutrements. Tommy had long murmured
in secret at this prohibition, which seemed to imply a distrust of his
abilities in horsemanship, which sensibly wounded his pride. But since
he had taken it into his head to emulate the Arabs themselves, and
perhaps excel them in their own art, he considered it as no longer
possible to endure the disgrace. But, as he was no stranger to the
strict injunction which had been gi