horses were brought up, Hardy mounted one, and Robert Garth
criticized. Hardy put the horse through its paces, and if his judgment
was not favourable, it was declined; but if doubtful. Garth rode it,
and Hardy looked on. A couple of horses were thus selected, and both
had Robert Garth's unqualified approval.

"They are both as handsome as paint, and as sound as bells," said
Garth.

"Are you a horse-dealer?" asked Pastor Lindal, of Hardy, one evening.

"No, certainly not," replied Hardy.

"You have shown every qualification for it," said the Pastor.

"Possibly," said Hardy. "I see I have done this also too well. I only
wanted the horses for my mother's carriage. She likes an open light
carriage, and it is difficult to procure really good horses in England
of a suitable size. The horses I have bought will suit her exactly, if
we have good luck with them; that is, that they turn out well, and we
have no accident with them. I shall buy a light four-wheel carriage at
Horsens, and my groom will drive them, and we shall then see if it be
necessary to discard either or both, before they are taken to
England."

"But why did you send for a horse from England?" said Pastor Lindal,
to whom a horse was a horse and a cow was a cow.

"I fear because I like a good horse," replied Hardy. "Your Jutland
horses are not adapted to the saddle, except for lady's hacks, or
light carriage work; my English horse would jump the ditches that
abound in your Danish fields, and would, for instance, jump your
garden wall."

"That I am sure no horse can," said the Pastor, decidedly.

"Does he mean, father," said Froken Helga, "that his horse can jump
our garden wall?"

"Yes," said Hardy; "it is scarcely five feet. But will you promise,
Froken Helga, that if my horse does jump the wall, that you will not
say that the horse does it too well? It is not me, but the horse that
jumps the wall."

Helga looked annoyed at the reference made to her saying that he sang
and played too well for any one to follow after him, but she said
nothing.

Karl and Axel had listened. They too thought it impossible; but they
believed in Hardy.

"Well, Karl," said Hardy, "don't you believe in me and the English
horse?"

"No," said Karl. "A horse cannot jump the garden wall by himself, much
more with a man on his back; no horse could do it. But I believe you
can do anything."

"Well, Herr Pastor," said Hardy, "I have no one who believes in me or
my horse.