r
began to admire her too.

"I think I'll get upon her back; it will save me walking down to the
village," said he, one day. And she actually carried him--though, as his
feet nearly touched the ground, it looked as if the man were carrying
the pony, and not the pony the man. And the children laughed so
immoderately, that he never tried it afterward.

Nor Bill neither, though he had once thought he should like a ride, and
got astride on Jess; but she quickly ducked her head down, and he
tumbled over it. Evidently she had her own tastes as to her riders, and
much preferred little people to big ones.

Pretty Jess! when cantering round the paddock with the young folk she
really was quite a picture. And when at last she got a saddle--a new,
beautiful saddle, with a pommel to take off and on, so as to suit both
boys and girls--how proud they all were, Jess included! That day they
were allowed to take her into the market-town--Gardener leading her, as
Bill could not be trusted--and every body, even the blacksmith, who
hoped by-and-by to have the pleasure of shoeing her, said, what a
beautiful pony she was!

After this, Gardener treated Jess a great deal better, and showed Bill
how to groom her, and kept him close at it too, which Bill did not like
at all. He was a very lazy lad, and whenever he could shirk work he did
it; and many a time when the children wanted Jess, either there was
nobody to saddle her, or she had not been properly groomed, or Bill was
away at his dinner, and they had to wait till he came back and could put
her in order to be taken out for a ride like a genteel animal--which I
am afraid neither pony nor children enjoyed half so much as the old ways
before Bill came.

Still, they were gradually becoming excellent little horsemen and
horsewomen--even the youngest, only four years old, whom all the rest
were very tender over, and who was often held on Jess's back and given a
ride out of her turn because she was a good little girl, and never cried
for it. And seldomer and seldomer was heard the mysterious sound of the
whip in the air, which warned them of quarreling--Brownie hated
quarreling.

[Illustration: Jess quickly ducked her head down and Bill tumbled over
it.]

In fact, their only trouble was Bill, who never came to his work in
time, and never did things when wanted, and was ill-natured, lazy, and
cross to the children, so that they disliked him very much.

"I wish the Brownie would punish yo