The Coachmaster 



which a little confounded the grinning 

 countrymen. He put them in a comfort- 

 able lodging, gave them regular work 

 about his stable-yard, and started them at 

 once with a higher wage than they had 

 ever yet received. 



This arrangement proved to be but little 

 to my Father's advantage, and yet for many 

 years he retained them in his employ, in- 

 deed as long as he had any work for them 

 to do. They were dull fellows, and, as I 

 fear, jealous of his better fortunes ; Uncle 

 Peter, especially, the eldest of the family, 

 and a man of over fifty, was a thankless 

 soul, and as obstinate as a mule. Down in 

 Hampshire he had had the care of a great 

 many farm horses, and for all my Father 

 could say, he would not be persuaded to 

 treat his far more delicate and valuable 

 beasts in any other fashion than he had 

 treated those, often with the worst results. 

 At last the coachmaster, kindliest of men, 

 could stand it no longer : Boxer, his 

 favourite bay, was getting Into thoroughly 

 bad condition from over-feeding. In one 

 of his rare but real rages he left the house 

 and hurried round to the yard, while I, 

 always glad of a peep at the stables, 

 trotted at his side. He muttered to him- 

 self all the way about '' the poor beasts," 

 42 



