atter with you, mother dear? Do cry a little. It will do
you good. When father takes ever so small a drop of spirits, he puts
water to it."

"You silly darling!" said his mother; "how could I but laugh at the
notion of that great fat Ruby going side by side with our poor old
Diamond?"

"But why not, mother? With a month's oats, and nothing to do, Diamond'll
be nearer Ruby's size than you will father's. I think it's very good for
different sorts to go together. Now Ruby will have a chance of teaching
Diamond better manners."

"How dare you say such a thing, Diamond?" said his father, angrily.
"To compare the two for manners, there's no comparison possible. Our
Diamond's a gentleman."

"I don't mean to say he isn't, father; for I daresay some gentlemen
judge their neighbours unjustly. That's all I mean. Diamond shouldn't
have thought such bad things of Ruby. He didn't try to make the best of
him."

"How do you know that, pray?"

"I heard them talking about it one night."

"Who?"

"Why Diamond and Ruby. Ruby's an angel."

Joseph stared and said no more. For all his new gladness, he was very
gloomy as he re-harnessed the angel, for he thought his darling Diamond
was going out of his mind.

He could not help thinking rather differently, however, when he found
the change that had come over Ruby. Considering his fat, he exerted
himself amazingly, and got over the ground with incredible speed. So
willing, even anxious, was he to go now, that Joseph had to hold him
quite tight.

Then as he laughed at his own fancies, a new fear came upon him lest the
horse should break his wind, and Mr. Raymond have good cause to think
he had not been using him well. He might even suppose that he had taken
advantage of his new instructions, to let out upon the horse some of his
pent-up dislike; whereas in truth, it had so utterly vanished that he
felt as if Ruby, too, had been his friend all the time.

CHAPTER XXXIV. IN THE COUNTRY

BEFORE the end of the month, Ruby had got respectably thin, and Diamond
respectably stout. They really began to look fit for double harness.

Joseph and his wife got their affairs in order, and everything ready for
migrating at the shortest notice; and they felt so peaceful and happy
that they judged all the trouble they had gone through well worth
enduring. As for Nanny, she had been so happy ever since she left the
hospital, that she expected nothing better, and saw nothing attractive
in