me close to her, which
startled him.

"Oh, this must be Fairyland, I am sure," thought Jack, "for in my
country our pulses beat quite differently from that."

"Well," said Faxa, rather sharply, "do you find any fault with the way
I go?"

"No," said Jack, a little ashamed of having listened. "I think you
walk beautifully; your steps are so regular."

"She's machine-made," observed the old horse, in a melancholy voice,
and with a deep sigh. "In the largest magnifying-glass you'll hardly
find the least fault with her chain. She's not like the goods they
turn out in Clerkenwell."

Jack was more and more startled, and so glad to get his cap and run
after the groom and Dow to find Lady Betty, that he might be with
ordinary human beings again; but when he got up to them, he found that
Lady Betty was a beautiful brown mare! She was lying in a languid and
rather affected attitude, with a load of fresh hay before her, and
two attendants, one of whom stood holding a parasol over her head, and
the other was fanning her.

"I'm so glad you are come, my good Dow," said the brown mare. "Don't
you think I am strong enough to-day to set off for the happy
meadows?"

"Well," said Dow, "I'm afraid not yet; you must remember that it is of
no use your leaving us till you have quite got over the effects of the
fall."

Just then Lady Betty observed Jack, and said, "Take that boy away; he
reminds me of a jockey."

The attentive groom instantly started forward, but Jack was too nimble
for him; he ran and ran with all his might, and only wished he had
never left the boat. But still he heard the groom behind him; and in
fact the groom caught him at last, and held him so fast that
struggling was of no use at all.

"You young rascal!" he exclaimed, as he recovered breath. "How you do
run! It's enough to break your mainspring."

"What harm did I do?" asked Jack. "I was only looking at the mare."

"Harm!" exclaimed the groom; "harm indeed! Why, you reminded her of a
jockey. It's enough to hold her back, poor thing!--and we trying so
hard, too, to make her forget what a cruel end she came to in the old
world."

"You need not hold me so tightly," said Jack, "I shall not run away
again; but," he added, "if this is Fairyland, it is not half such a
nice country as I expected."

"Fairyland!" exclaimed the groom, stepping back with surprise. "Why,
what made you think of such a thing? This is only one of the border
countries, where things