176 More Tales of the Birds 



"The door opened, and there stood the 

 long-lost gentleman who had given me the 

 sovereign, looking down on me with the same 

 pleasant face and the same lively blue eyes! 

 He recognised me at once ; to him it was but 

 the other day that I had caught his horse for 

 him ; but it had been long years of misery 

 and disgrace to me. But he had been in 

 London and in foreign parts, and had never 

 thought of me since then so he told me 

 afterwards. 



"'Why, who's this, and where's my change?' 

 he said at once. ' Didn't I ask you if I could 

 trust you ? And how did you come here, I 

 wonder, with that honest face?' 



"It was too much for me, and for all the 

 pluck I had got from Mag and Nelly, I burst 

 into a fit of crying, and leant against the wall, 

 heaving and sobbing. ' The groom never 

 came,' was all I could get out at last. 



" * Bring me a chair here, Mr. Reynolds,' 

 said he, 'and leave me alone with him. I 

 know this boy.' 



" The master went away, and my kind 



