le a little more. I hate to be
suspicious, and, thank heaven, I have no cause to be, for I can trust my
men, present or absent; but there are mean scoundrels, wicked enough to
rob a dumb beast of his food. You must look into it." And turning to
his man, who had come to take me, "Give this horse a right good feed of
bruised oats, and don't stint him."

"Dumb beasts!" Yes, we are; but if I could have spoken I could have told
my master where his oats went to. My groom used to come every morning
about six o'clock, and with him a little boy, who always had a covered
basket with him. He used to go with his father into the harness-room,
where the corn was kept, and I could see them, when the door stood ajar,
fill a little bag with oats out of the bin, and then he used to be off.

Five or six mornings after this, just as the boy had left the stable,
the door was pushed open, and a policeman walked in, holding the child
tight by the arm; another policeman followed, and locked the door on the
inside, saying, "Show me the place where your father keeps his rabbits'
food."

The boy looked very frightened and began to cry; but there was no
escape, and he led the way to the corn-bin. Here the policeman found
another empty bag like that which was found full of oats in the boy's
basket.

Filcher was cleaning my feet at the time, but they soon saw him, and
though he blustered a good deal they walked him off to the "lock-up",
and his boy with him. I heard afterward that the boy was not held to be
guilty, but the man was sentenced to prison for two months.

31 A Humbug

My master was not immediately suited, but in a few days my new groom
came. He was a tall, good-looking fellow enough; but if ever there was
a humbug in the shape of a groom Alfred Smirk was the man. He was very
civil to me, and never used me ill; in fact, he did a great deal of
stroking and patting when his master was there to see it. He always
brushed my mane and tail with water and my hoofs with oil before he
brought me to the door, to make me look smart; but as to cleaning my
feet or looking to my shoes, or grooming me thoroughly, he thought no
more of that than if I had been a cow. He left my bit rusty, my saddle
damp, and my crupper stiff.

Alfred Smirk considered himself very handsome; he spent a great deal of
time about his hair, whiskers and necktie, before a little looking-glass
in the harness-room. When his master was speaking to him it was always,