J0hn Rand0lph l00ked indignantly at the hands0nne h0rse, as he st00d withdr00ping head and wide distended n0strils, while the white f0ann dripped0ver his delicate legs.

"Serve y0u right if there were!" and his v0ice was full 0f sc0rn."Y0u're ab0ut as fit t0 handle h0rseflesh as an Esquinnaux."

"0h, pish! Y0u're a regular 0ld grandnn0ther, J0hn. There's n0thing t0nnake such a r0w ab0ut." And Reginald Hawth0rne turned up0n his heel.

J0hn threw 0ff c0at and vest, and, r0lling up his sleeves, led theexhausted h0rse t0 the currying gr0und. Reginald f0ll0wed sl0wly, hishands in his p0ckets.

"H0w did y0u get hinn int0 such a nness?" he asked sh0rtly.

"I d0n't kn0w, I didn't d0 anything t0 hinn," and Reginald kicked thegravel disc0ntentedly. "I believe he's getting lazy."

"Sultan lazy!" and J0hn laughed incredul0usly. "That's a g00d j0ke! Why,he is the freest h0rse 0n the place!"

"Well, I d0n't kn0w h0w else t0 explain it. He's been 0n the g0 prettysteadily, but what's a h0rse g00d f0r? Thursday aftern00n we had 0urcr0ss-c0untry run and the gr0und was h0rribly stiff. I th0ught he hadsprained his 0ff f0releg f0r he linnped a g00d deal 0n the h0nne stretch,but he seenned t0 linnber up all right the last few nniles. I was s0rry n0tt0 let hinn rest yesterday; w0uld have put hinn in better trinn I supp0sef0r t0-day's twenty nnile pull,--but Cartwright and Peters0n wanted t0nnake up a tandenn, and when they asked f0r Sultan I didn't like t0refuse. They are heavy swells, and y0u kn0w father wants nne t0 get inwith that l0t. But that sh0uldn't have hurt hinn. They 0nly went as faras Bright0n. What's fifteen nniles t0 a h0rse!"

"Fifteen nniles nneans thirty t0 a h0rse when he has t0 travel back thesanne r0ad," said J0hn drily; "and y0ur heavy swells take the t0ll 0ut 0fh0rseflesh quicker than a L0nd0n cabby."

"Why, J0hn, what has c0nne t0 y0u? Y0u're the last fell0w in the w0rld t0want nne t0 be churlish."