I was sold to a farmer at the horse fair，but it was his young grandson who persuaded him to buy me．

　　The two of them walked past me and，seeing kindness in the farmer's face， I lifted my head， put my ears forward and tried to look my best．

　　The farmer stopped and looked at me．'There's a horse，Willie， that has known better days，'he said．

　　'Poor thing！'said the boy．'Do you think he was ever a car-riage horse，grandfather？'

　　'Oh，yes，' said the farmer．'Look at his fine head and the shape of his neck and shoulder．'He reached out a hand and patted me on the neck．I put out my nose in answer to his kindness，and the boy gently put his hand against my face．

　　'Look how well he understands kindness，'said the boy．'Won't you buy him，and make him young and strong again？'

　　The man who was selling me said，'The boy can recognize a good horse，sir．This one isn't old，just tired and thin from too much work．In six months，he'll be fine．'

　　Five pounds changed hands and，soon after，I was taken to my new home．The farmer gave orders for me to have hay and oats every night and morning，and I was let out into a large field in the daytime．Willie，the young boy，was responsible for me， and he came to see me every day， bringing carrots or apples．

　　During that winter，the rest，the good food，the soft grass and gentle running and trotting all helped to make me feel quite young again．When the spring came，the farmer tried me with a carriage， and I did the work quite easily．

　　'He's growing young，Willie，' he said．'We'll give him some gentle work and look for a good home for him．'

* * *

　　One day during this summer，the groom cleaned and dressed me with special care，and Willie seemed half-worried and half-excited as he got into the carriage with his grandfather．

　　'I hope the ladies like him，'said the farmer．

　　A kilometre or two beyond the village，we came to a pretty house，and Willie went to knock on the door．He asked if Miss Blomefield and Miss Ellen were at home．They were，and Willie stayed with me while the farmer went into the house．He came back about ten minutes later with three ladies．They seemed to like me， but one of them， worried by my knees， won-dered if I was safe．

　　'It's true ............