The Pride of Our Village, 55 



hearted man, that I would go there myself if it could secure 

 his success." 



It was a royal treat to be taken into the stable to see 

 the horse — -a treat which no Avell-bred gentlemen would 

 ever think of asking for, as it is a difficult thing to refuse 

 on the owner's part, and me jiidice, you may as well ask to 

 see a man's banking book. 



The favourite w^as all sixteen hands; a splendid bay, 

 with a beautiful head and a large, full eye, as soft as a 

 gazelle's, and in temper as gentle as a lamb. He recaived 

 his visitors, especially ladies, on whose shoulders he would 

 lay his head (happy horse !), like a thoroughbred gentleman, 

 and came up — possibly with an eye to a little bit of sugar, 

 or apple, or bread, — and did the honours of his loose box 

 with great effect. Very few strangers ever saw him ; and 

 I fancy that I grew six inches, and swelled in proportion, 

 wdien I received a message one Sunday afternoon from the 

 owner, that he would be happy to show me the stables the 

 next morning, and that, if the weather only held on as bad 

 as it then was — it was blowing a December hurricane from 

 the south-west, — I might see him galloped on Monday at two 

 o'clock in the wind and rain. 



The park was a splendid place for training, with three- 

 quarters of a mile finish — very like the Derby course. There 

 were only two paths through the park, and all adits and 

 exits were easily watched ; and should a stranger be found 

 out of the lawful beaten track, what was easier than for one 

 of the keepers (who were many in number) to punch that 

 stranger's head ? jSTo fear of a magistrate of sound religious 

 principles convicting anyone in that part of the country for 

 thrashing a tout who was after our favourite. He would 

 be much more likely to give a tout tln-ee months for 

 running his head against a keeper's stick in the exercise of 

 the keeper's duty. 



