Our new Sorrel was at last chosen and bought. It was a capital horse, young, strong and good-looking, with an extremely pleasant, good-humoured expression. It was, of course, irreproachable in all other respects. The convicts began haggling. The dealers asked thirty roubles, our fellows offered twenty-five. The bargaining was hot and lengthy. They kept adding and subtracting. At last they were amused at it themselves.

“Are you going to take the money out of your own purse? What are you bargaining about?” said some.

“Do you want to spare the government?” cried others.

“But after all, lads, after all, it’s sort of common money.”

“Common money! Well to be sure, there’s no need to sow fools like us, we spring up of ourselves.”