if you could leave your home for the first time and not feel it. Cheer up,

you'll make friends there; and if you get on well, as I am sure you will,
it will be a fine thing for your mother, and she will be proud enough

that you have got into such a good place as that."
So John cheered him up, but every one was sorry to lose James;

as for Merrylegs, he pined after him for several days, and went quite off
his appetite. So John took him out several mornings with a leading rein,

when he exercised me, and, trotting and galloping by my side,
got up the little fellow's spirits again, and he was soon all right.

Joe's father would often come in and give a little help,
as he understood the work; and Joe took a great deal of pains to learn,

and John was quite encouraged about him.
18 Going for the Doctor

One night, a few days after James had left, I had eaten my hay
and was lying down in my straw fast asleep, when I was suddenly roused

by the stable bell ringing very loud. I heard the door of John's house open,
and his feet running up to the hall. He was back again in no time;

he unlocked the stable door, and came in, calling out, "Wake up, Beauty!
You must go well now, if ever you did;" and almost before I could think

he had got the saddle on my back and the bridle on my head.
He just ran round for his coat, and then took me at a quick trot

up to the hall door. The squire stood there, with a lamp in his hand.
"Now, John," he said, "ride for your life -- that is,

for your mistress' life; there is not a moment to lose.
Give this note to Dr. White; give your horse a rest at the inn,

and be back as soon as you can."
John said, "Yes, sir," and was on my back in a minute.

The gardener who lived at the lodge had heard the bell ring,
and was ready with the gate open, and away we went through the park,

and through the village, and down the hill till we came to the toll-gate.
John called very loud and thumped upon the door; the man was soon out

and flung open the gate.
"Now," said John, "do you keep the gate open for the doctor;

here's the money," and off he went again.
There was before us a long piece of level road by the river side;

John said to me, "Now, Beauty, do your best," and so I did;
I wanted no whip nor spur, and for two miles I galloped as fast as

I could lay my feet to the ground; I don't believe that my old grandfather,
who won the race at Newmarket, could have gone faster. When we came

to the bridge John pulled me up a little and patted my neck. "Well done,
Beauty! good old fellow," he said. He would have let me go slower,

but my spirit was up, and I was off again as fast as before.
The air was frosty, the moon was bright; it was very pleasant.

We came through a village, then through a dark wood, then uphill,
then downhill, till after eight miles' run we came to the town,

through the streets and into the market-place. It was all quite still
except the clatter of my feet on the stones -- everybody was asleep.

The church clock struck three as we drew up at Dr. White's door.
John rang the bell twice, and then knocked at the door like thunder.

A window was thrown up, and Dr. White, in his nightcap,
put his head out and said, "What do you want?"

"Mrs. Gordon is very ill, sir; master wants you to go at once;
he thinks she will die if you cannot get there. Here is a note."

"Wait," he said, "I will come."
He shut the window, and was soon at the door.

"The worst of it is," he said, "that my horse has been out all day
and is quite done up; my son has just been sent for,

and he has taken the other. What is to be done? Can I have your horse?"
"He has come at a gallop nearly all the way, sir, and I was to give him

a rest here; but I think my master would not be against it,
if you think fit, sir."

"All right," he said; "I will soon be ready."
John stood by me and stroked my neck; I was very hot. The doctor came out

with his riding-whip.
"You need not take that, sir," said John; "Black Beauty will go

till he drops. Take care of him, sir, if you can; I should not like
any harm to come to him."

"No, no, John," said the doctor, "I hope not," and in a minute
we had left John far behind.

I will not tell about our way back. The doctor was a heavier man than John,
and not so good a rider; however, I did my very best.

The man at the toll-gate had it open. When we came to the hill
the doctor drew me up. "Now, my good fellow," he said, "take some breath."

I was glad he did, for I was nearly spent, but that breathing helped me on,
and soon we were in the park. Joe was at the lodge gate;

my master was at the hall door, for he had heard us coming.
He spoke not a word; the doctor went into the house with him,

and Joe led me to the stable. I was glad to get home;
my legs shook under me, and I could only stand and pant.

I had not a dry hair on my body, the water ran down my legs,
and I steamed all over, Joe used to say, like a pot on the fire.

Poor Joe! he was young and small, and as yet he knew very little,
and his father, who would have helped him, had been sent to the next village;

but I am sure he did the very best he knew. He rubbed my legs and my chest,
but he did not put my warm cloth on me; he thought I was so hot

I should not like it. Then he gave me a pailful of water to drink;
it was cold and very good, and I drank it all; then he gave me

some hay and some corn, and thinking he had done right, he went away.
Soon I began to shake and tremble, and turned deadly cold; my legs ached,

my loins ached, and my chest ached, and I felt sore all over.
Oh! how I wished for my warm, thick cloth, as I stood and trembled.

I wished for John, but he had eight miles to walk, so I lay down in my straw
and tried to go to sleep. After a long while I heard John at the door;

I gave a low moan, for I was in great pain. He was at my side in a moment,
stooping down by me. I could not tell him how I felt,

but he seemed to know it all; he covered me up with two or three warm cloths,
and then ran to the house for some hot water; he made me some warm gruel,

which I drank, and then I think I went to sleep.
John seemed to be very much put out. I heard him say to himself

over and over again, "Stupid boy! stupid boy! no cloth put on,
and I dare say the water was cold, too; boys are no good;"

but Joe was a good boy, after all.
I was now very ill; a strong inflammation had attacked my lungs,

and I could not draw my breath without pain. John nursed me night and day;
he would get up two or three times in the night to come to me.

My master, too, often came to see me. "My poor Beauty," he said one day,
"my good horse, you saved your mistress' life, Beauty;

yes, you saved her life." I was very glad to hear that,
for it seems the doctor had said if we had been a little longer

it would have been too late. John told my master he never saw a horse
go so fast in his life. It seemed as if the horse knew what was the matter.

Of course I did, though John thought not; at least I knew as much as this --
that John and I must go at the top of our speed, and that it was

for the sake of the mistress.
19 Only Ignorance

I do not know how long I was ill. Mr. Bond, the horse-doctor,
came every day. One day he bled me; John held a pail for the blood.

I felt very faint after it and thought I should die, and I believe
they all thought so too.

Ginger and Merrylegs had been moved into the other stable,
so that I might be quiet, for the fever made me very quick of hearing;

any little noise seemed quite loud, and I could tell every one's footstep
going to and from the house. I knew all that was going on.

One night John had to give me a draught; Thomas Green came in to help him.
After I had taken it and John had made me as comfortable as he could,

he said he should stay half an hour to see how the medicine settled.
Thomas said he would stay with him, so they went and sat down on a bench

that had been brought into Merrylegs' stall, and put down the lantern
at their feet, that I might not be disturbed with the light.

For awhile both men sat silent, and then Tom Green said in a low voice:
"I wish, John, you'd say a bit of a kind word to Joe.

The boy is quite broken-hearted; he can't eat his meals, and he can't smile.
He says he knows it was all his fault, though he is sure he did the best

he knew, and he says if Beauty dies no one will ever speak to him again.
It goes to my heart to hear him. I think you might give him just a word;

he is not a bad boy."
After a short pause John said slowly, "You must not be too hard upon me, Tom.

I know he meant no harm, I never said he did; I know he is not a bad boy.
But you see, I am sore myself; that horse is the pride of my heart,

to say nothing of his being such a favorite with the master and mistress;
and to think that his life may be flung away in this manner

is more than I can bear. But if you think I am hard on the boy
I will try to give him a good word to-morrow -- that is,

I mean if Beauty is better."
"Well, John, thank you. I knew you did not wish to be too hard,

and I am glad you see it was only ignorance."
John's voice almost startled me as he answered:

"Only ignorance! only ignorance! how can you talk about only ignorance?
Don't you know that it is the worst thing in the world, next to wickedness?

-- and which does the most mischief heaven only knows. If people can say,
`Oh! I did not know, I did not mean any harm,' they think it is all right.

I suppose Martha Mulwash did not mean to kill that baby
when she dosed it with Dalby and soothing syrups; but she did kill it,

and was tried for manslaughter."
"And serve her right, too," said Tom. "A woman should not undertake to nurse

a tender little child without knowing what is good and what is bad for it."
"Bill Starkey," continued John, "did not mean to frighten his brother

into fits when he dressed up like a ghost and ran after him in the moonlight;
but he did; and that bright, handsome little fellow, that might have been

the pride of any mother's heart is just no better than an idiot,
and never will be, if he lives to be eighty years old.

You were a good deal cut up yourself, Tom, two weeks ago,
when those young ladies left your hothouse door open, with a frosty east wind

blowing right in; you said it killed a good many of your plants."
"A good many!" said Tom; "there was not one of the tender cuttings

that was not nipped off. I shall have to strike all over again,
and the worst of it is that I don't know where to go to get fresh ones.

I was nearly mad when I came in and saw what was done."
"And yet," said John, "I am sure the young ladies did not mean it;

it was only ignorance."
I heard no more of this conversation, for the medicine did well

and sent me to sleep, and in the morning I felt much better;
but I often thought of John's words when I came to know more of the world.

20 Joe Green
Joe Green went on very well; he learned quickly, and was so

attentive and careful that John began to trust him in many things;
but as I have said, he was small of his age, and it was seldom

that he was allowed to exercise either Ginger or me; but it so happened
one morning that John was out with Justice in the luggage cart,

and the master wanted a note to be taken immediately to a gentleman's house,
about three miles distant, and sent his orders for Joe to saddle me

and take it, adding the caution that he was to ride steadily.
The note was delivered, and we were quietly returning when we came

to the brick-field. Here we saw a cart heavily laden with bricks;
the wheels had stuck fast in the stiff mud of some deep ruts,

and the carter was shouting and flogging the two horses unmercifully.
Joe pulled up. It was a sad sight. There were the two horses

straining and struggling with all their might to drag the cart out,
but they could not move it; the sweat streamed from their legs and flanks,

their sides heaved, and every muscle was strained, while the man,
fiercely pulling at the head of the fore horse, swore and lashed

most brutally.
"Hold hard," said Joe; "don't go on flogging the horses like that;

the wheels are so stuck that they cannot move the cart."
The man took no heed, but went on lashing.

"Stop! pray stop!" said Joe. "I'll help you to lighten the cart;
they can't move it now."

"Mind your own business, you impudent young rascal, and I'll mind mine!"
The man was in a toweringpassion and the worse for drink,

and laid on the whip again. Joe turned my head, and the next moment
we were going at a round gallop toward the house of the master brick-maker.

• appetite [´æpitait] n.欲望；食欲 (初中英语单词)
• stable [´steibəl] n.马棚 a.稳固的 (初中英语单词)
• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
• saddle [´sædl] n.鞍子 v.装鞍(于) (初中英语单词)
• squire [skwaiə] n.护卫，侍从；乡绅 (初中英语单词)
• gallop [´gæləp] n.&v.奔驰；急速行进 (初中英语单词)
• deadly [´dedli] a.致命的 ad.死一般地 (初中英语单词)
• stupid [´stju:pid] a.愚蠢的；糊涂的 (初中英语单词)
• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)
• awhile [ə´wail] ad.少顷；片刻 (初中英语单词)
• mischief [´mistʃif] n.伤害；故障；调皮 (初中英语单词)
• undertake [,ʌndə´teik] vt.从事；承担；担保 (初中英语单词)
• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)
• frighten [´fraitn] vt.吓唬，使惊惧 (初中英语单词)
• muscle [´mʌsəl] n.肌肉；体力；力量 (初中英语单词)
• passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)
• bridle [´braidl] n.(马)笼头；束缚 (高中英语单词)
• gardener [´gɑ:dnə] n.园艺家；园林工人 (高中英语单词)
• clatter [´klætə] n.&v.喧嚷；骚动 (高中英语单词)
• draught [drɑ:ft] n.通风，通气；吸出 (高中英语单词)
• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)
• ginger [´dʒindʒə] n.姜；精神，元气 (高中英语单词)
• luggage [´lʌgidʒ] n.行李；皮箱 (高中英语单词)
• caution [´kɔ:ʃən] n.&vt.小心；告诫；警告 (高中英语单词)
• lighten [´laitn] v.减轻；点亮；启发 (高中英语单词)
• rascal [´rɑ:skəl] n.流氓 (高中英语单词)
• bridge [bridʒ] n.桥(梁)；鼻梁；桥牌 (英语四级单词)
• frosty [´frɔsti] a.霜冻的；冷淡的 (英语四级单词)
• towering [´tauəriŋ] a.高耸的；强烈的 (英语四级单词)
• calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名；职业；欲望 (英语六级单词)