a smile.

And then, in a confusion of bows, the two girls made their retreat,
followed by Mr Mervyn.

"Oh, Fin, how strange!" exclaimed Tiny; "it's the gentleman who struck
that man at the race."

"Yes," exclaimed Fin; "and that horrid little creature's sure to be
close behind."

Volume 1, Chapter IX.

SAM JENKLES PREPARES FOR AN EXPEDITION.

"There you are, Ratty," said Sam Jenkles, sticking a small yellow
sunflower in each of his horse's blinkers, before mounting to his perch
and driving out of the yard. "Now you look 'andsome. Only recklect
'andsome is as 'andsome does; so just putt your right leg fust for once
in a way."

He walked round the horse, giving it a smooth here and a smooth there
with his worn-out glove, and patting its neck, before walking back, and
beginning to button-up for the day.

"Blest if ever I see such a tail in my life as he's got," he muttered.
"Wonder what a hartificial one 'ud cost. It aint no kind o' use to comb
it, 'thout you want to comb it all out and leave no tail at all I
wouldn't care if it warn't so ragged."

It certainly was a melancholy-looking tail, but only in keeping with the
rest of the horse's personal appearance, which was of the most
dejected--dispirited. If it had only been black, the steed would have
been the beau ideal beast for a workhouse hearse; as he was of a dingy
brown, he was relegated to a cab.

"What's the matter, Sam?" said a cleaner, coming up--a man with a stable
pail of water in one hand, a spoke-brush in the other, and a general
exemplification of how, by degrees, Nature will make square people fit
into round holes, and the reverse; for, by the constant carriage of
stable pails, the man's knees had gone in, and out of the perpendicular,
so as to allow for the vessels' swing.

"What's the matter, Buddy? Why, everythink. Look at that there 'oss--
look at his tail."

"Well, he aint 'andsome, suttunly," said the helper.

"'Andsome!" exclaimed Sam; "no, nor he aint anythink else. He won't go,
nor he won't stop. If you wants him to 'old 'is 'ead up, he 'angs it
down; and if you wants him to 'old it down, he shoves it up in the air,
and goes shambling along like a sick camel. He's all rules of
contrairy."

"'Oppin' about like a little canary," chimed in the helper.

"'Oppin' about!" said Sam, in a tone of disgust. "I should just like to
see him, if on'y for once in a way. I tell yer what it is, Buddy, I
believe sometimes all he does