'How do you know I am not one of them?' he replied.
'If you are, you will understand that I took the liberty of mounting you under a very pardonable mistake; and if you will have the goodness to stand still, I will no longer detain you.'
'Not so fast,' said he: 'I want to know something more about you first. I should say now you were a man with plenty of oats.'
'I am—well off,' I said. How I wished I was!
'I have long been looking out for a proprietor who would not overwork me: now, of course, I don't know, but you scarcely strike me as a hard rider.'
'I do not think I could be fairly accused of that,' I answered, with all the consciousness of innocence.
'Just so—then buy me.'
'No,' I gasped: 'after the extremely candid opinion you were good enough to express of my riding, I'm surprised that you should even suggest such a thing.'
'Oh, I will put up with that—you will suit me well enough, I dare say.'