112 OCCASIONAL HAPPY THOUGHTS. 



Happy Thought. — Four days. Two in harness, and two 

 in saddle. 



I return to Jarvis. My Aunt and Doddridge still at the 

 gate. Crowd, a trifle thinned, still about the lane. 



Jarvis opens fire, rather blusteringly. 



" Well, Sir, are you going to have him '^. " 



" I don't know." 



He continues : " When he's been properly looked after for 

 a week or so, you'll see how he'll come out. Quite a gentle- 

 man's cob ; look in better form, and be in better fettle, too, 

 than nine out of ten that fetch double his price, and ain't 

 worth half it. You may work him all day'and all night, too, 

 and he'll always be the same. Gay and light-hearted, and 

 never sick nor sorry from one year's end to the other." 



Happy Tho2ight. — What a cheerful disposition and what a 

 constitution ! On the. other hand I did not know that horses 

 were ever sick (I've seen 'em on board ship in boxes, and a 

 bad sea on, and they've been quite well — I mean, never once 

 called for the steward) or sorry. What should they be 

 " sorry " for ? 



Stay, on second thoughts, Jarvis is probably using the old 

 English expression. I recollect it now — " A Sorry Jade." 



My Aunt has sent Doddridge in for some bread, and 

 is now feeding the horse, and saying, " Pretty creature ! " 

 quite affectionately. Doddridge is watching her in strong 

 admiration of my Aunt's intrepidity in going so near the 

 horse's mouth. What annoys me is, that they are both 

 (mistress and maid, united ages, amounting to— no matter 



