DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. 95 



proceed to their dinners ; after having taken 

 this meal, their time is generally their own, un- 

 less with those who may be looking after the 

 horses in the boxes ; those boys may have be- 

 tween stable hom's to wash and slice a few 

 carrots for their horses. If the stables are shut 

 up, as I have just observed, at one in the day, 

 they are opened again at four in the afternoon ; 

 but as this month approaches to its close, the days 

 are shortening, so that the time for the horses' 

 going out to be exercised in the mornings, of 

 course, becomes gradually somewhat later, and 

 towards the conclusion of the month the stables 

 will not be shut up much before two o'clock in 

 the day. Therefore, to equally divide the time 

 for the horses to rest, the opening of the stables 

 in the afternoon becomes proportionably later, 

 that is, if, by the end of the month, they are 

 shut up at two in the day, they are to be opened 

 again at five o'clock in the afternoon. 



On the groom opening the stables in the 

 afternoon, a repetition of the same duties, as 

 in the morning, takes place, that of taking 

 down the bales and setting fair the horses' 

 beds. This being done, each boy, with his 

 bucket, repairs to the pump for water, and from 

 hence to the boiler ; the groom, or head lad, here 



