‘But I can surely hire a horse in the village?’ ‘A horse to travel to Arras at one stretch?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘That would require such a horse as does not exist in these parts. You would have to buy it to begin with, because no one knows you. But you will not find one for sale nor to let, for five hundred francs, or for a thousand.’ ‘What am I to do?’ ‘The best thing is to let me repair the wheel like an honest man, and set out on your journey to-morrow.’
