first he did not
answer, but walked along towards Jonas.

"That's the colt," said Jonas; "should not you like to go and see him?"

Rollo looked round again, and true enough, it was a small horse's head
that was over the wall. It looked smaller now than it did when he first
saw it.

Now there was behind the garden a green field, with scattered trees upon
it, and a thick wood at the farther side. Jonas took Rollo by the hand,
and led him back into the garden, towards the colt. The colt took his head
back over the fence as they approached, and walked away. He was now afraid
of Rollo. Jonas and Rollo climbed up upon a stile which was built there
against the fence, and saw the colt trotting away slowly down towards the
wood, looking back at Rollo and Jonas, by bending his head every minute,
first on one side, and then on the other.

"There comes father," said Rollo.

Jonas looked and saw Rollo's father coming out of the wood, leading a
horse. The colt and the horse had been feeding together in the field, and
Rollo's father had caught the horse, for he wanted to take a ride. Rollo's
father had a little basket in his hand, and when he saw the colt coming
towards him, he held it up and called him, "_Elky, Elky, Elky, Elky_," for
the colt's name was Elkin, though they often called him Elky. Elkin walked
slowly up to the basket, and put his nose in it. He found that there were
some oats in it; and Rollo's father poured them out on the grass, and then
stood by, patting Elky's head and neck while he ate them. Rollo thought
his head looked beautifully; he wondered how he could have been afraid of
it.

Rollo's father led the horse across the field, through a gate, into a
green lane which led along the side of the garden towards the house; and
Rollo said he would run round into the lane and meet him. So he jumped off
of the stile, and ran up the garden, and Jonas followed him, and went back
to his work.

Rollo ran round to meet his father, who was coming up the green lane,
leading the horse with a rope round his neck.

"Father," said Rollo, "could you put me on?"

His father smiled, and lifted Rollo up carefully, and placed him on the
horse's back. Then he walked slowly along.

"Father," said Rollo, "are you going away?"

"Yes," said he, "I am going to ride away in the wagon."

"Why did not you catch Elky, and let him draw you?"

"Elky? O, Elky is not old enough to work."

"Not old enough to work!" said Rollo, "Why, h