ad brought to the spot.

'The parson bought him of an old gentleman at Richmond yesterday for
me.' 'Done, brown as a berry,' said Fitzroy: 'I sold him only on
Saturday last to the reverend myself for twenty pounds as an incurable
miller. Why the old clerical's turned coper{1}--;a new way of raising the
wind--letting his friends down easy--gave you a good dinner, I suppose,
Sir John, and took this method of drawing the bustle{2} for it: an old
trick of the reverend's.' After this it is hardly necessary to say, the
servant was a confederate, and the whole affair nothing more or less
than a true orthodox farce of horse chaunting,{3} got up for the express
purpose of raising a temporary supply."{4}

1 A horse-dealer.

2 Money.

3 Tricking persons into the purchase of unsound or vicious
horses.

4 A practice by no means uncommon among a certain
description of dashing characters, who find chaunting a
horse to a green one, a snug accidental party at chicken
hazard, or a confederacy to entrap some inexperienced bird
of fashion, where he may be plucked by Greek banditti, pay
exceedingly well for these occasional dinner parties.

At this moment our attention was engaged by the entrance of a party of
exquisites and elegantes, dressed in the very extreme of opera costume,
who directed their steps to the regions above us. "I'll bet a hundred,"
said the honourable, "I know that leg," eyeing a divine little foot and
a finely turned ankle that was just then discernible from beneath a rich
pink drapery, as the possessor ascended the gallery of the conservatory,
lounging on the arm of the Irish Earl of C------; " the best leg in
England, and not a bad figure for an ancient," continued Lionise: "that
is the celebrated Mrs. Bertram, alias Bang--everybody ~209~~ knows Bang;
that is, every body in the fashionable world. She must have been a most
delightful creature when she first came out, and has continued longer in
bloom than any of the present houris of the west; but I forgot you were
fresh, and only in training, Heartly--I must introduce you to Bang: you
will never arrive at any eminence among the haut classe unless you can
call these beauties by name." "And who the deuce is Bang?" said I: "not
that elegantly-dressed female whom I see tripping up the gallery stairs
yonder, preceded by several other delightful faces." "The same, my dear
fellow: a fallen star, to be sure, but yet a