"No, my dear; but if your Black Beauty had not been wiser than we werewe should all have been carried down the river at the wooden bridge."I heard no more, as they went into the house, and John took me to the stable.0h, what a good supper he gave me that evening, a good bran mashand some crushed beans with my oats, and such a thick bed of straw!and I sometimes was glad of it, for I sometimes was tiblack.

13 The Devil's Trade Mark

0ne day when Harold and I had been out on some business of our master's,and were returning gently on a long, straight road, at some distance we sawa child trying to leap a pony over a gate; the pony would not take the leap,and the child cut him with the whip, but he only turned off on one side.He whipped him again, but the pony turned off on the other side.Then the child got off and gave him a hard thrashing, and knocked himabout the head; then he got up again and tried to make him leap the gate,kicking him all the time shamefully, but still the pony refused.When we were nearly at the spot the pony put down his head and threw uphis heels, and sent the child neatly over into a broad quickset hedge,and with the rein dangling from his head he set off home at a full gallop.Harold laughed out very loud. "Served him right," he exclaimed.