od home with me, are ruined. The mare shall
have a twelve-month's run, and we shall see what that will do for her;
but the black one, he must be sold; 'tis a great pity, but I could not
have knees like these in my stables."

"No, my lord, of course not," said York; "but he might get a place where
appearance is not of much consequence, and still be well treated. I know
a man in Bath, the master of some livery stables, who often wants a
good horse at a low figure; I know he looks well after his horses.
The inquest cleared the horse's character, and your lordship's
recommendation, or mine, would be sufficient warrant for him."

"You had better write to him, York. I should be more particular about
the place than the money he would fetch."

After this they left us.

"They'll soon take you away," said Ginger, "and I shall lose the only
friend I have, and most likely we shall never see each other again. 'Tis
a hard world!"

About a week after this Robert came into the field with a halter, which
he slipped over my head, and led me away. There was no leave-taking
of Ginger; we neighed to each other as I was led off, and she trotted
anxiously along by the hedge, calling to me as long as she could hear
the sound of my feet.

Through the recommendation of York, I was bought by the master of the
livery stables. I had to go by train, which was new to me, and required
a good deal of courage the first time; but as I found the puffing,
rushing, whistling, and, more than all, the trembling of the horse-box
in which I stood did me no real harm, I soon took it quietly.

When I reached the end of my journey I found myself in a tolerably
comfortable stable, and well attended to. These stables were not so
airy and pleasant as those I had been used to. The stalls were laid on
a slope instead of being level, and as my head was kept tied to the
manger, I was obliged always to stand on the slope, which was very
fatiguing. Men do not seem to know yet that horses can do more work if
they can stand comfortably and can turn about; however, I was well fed
and well cleaned, and, on the whole, I think our master took as much
care of us as he could. He kept a good many horses and carriages of
different kinds for hire. Sometimes his own men drove them; at
others, the horse and chaise were let to gentlemen or ladies who drove
themselves.

28 A Job Horse and His Drivers

Hitherto I had always been driven by people who at least knew how to