The postmaster came in and began obsequiously to beg his excellency to wait only two hours, when, come what might, he would let his excellency have the courier horses.

It was plain that he was lying and only wanted to get more money from the traveler.

"Is this good or bad?" Pierre asked himself.

" It is good for me, bad for another traveler, and for himself it's unavoidable, because he needs money for food; the man said an officer had once given him a thrashing for letting a private traveler have the courier horses.

But the officer thrashed him because he had to get on as quickly as possible.