.

Naturally, that also was found to have been pricked.

"May the devil take all those scamps of smiths who look after the poor
beasts so badly! A pretty fix we are in now. We may thank our stars if
we are able to crawl into Oroshaza before nightfall. A pretty amble we
shall have now, I'll be bound."

And indeed ambling was about all they could do. As for the Oroshaza
steeple, so far from drawing any nearer, it seemed to be travelling away
from them, and with very much better horses than they had. It seemed to
get further off every moment.

"Well, all we want now is for the saddle horse also to throw up the
sponge and we shall be complete."

If that were Mr. Gerzson's one remaining wish, Fate very speedily
granted it to him, for they had not gone another quarter of an hour when
all four horses began to limp together, one with the right foot, another
with the left, the third with the fore and the fourth with the hind leg,
till it was positively frightful to look at them.

Mr. Gerzson leaped from the box, and in his rage and fury dashed his
pipe-stem into a thousand pieces.

"What can the smith have been about!" whined the coachman shaking his
head, "and yet his lordship had a look at them too!"

"Devil take your smith, and his lordship also for the matter of that.
The whole lot of you deserves hanging." And it was a good thing for the
coachman that he happened to be standing on the other side of the
horses, as otherwise he would certainly have had a taste of Squire
Gerzson's riding whip.

Henrietta, who had hitherto been sleeping quietly in the carriage,
aroused by the loud voices, put her head out of the window and timidly
inquired what was the matter. At the first sound of her voice, Squire
Gerzson grew as mild as a lamb.

"Nothing much," said he. "I have only been trying to put together again
my broken pipe-stem, the carriage-wheel has gone over my pipe, that is
all."

"But where are we now?" asked Henrietta, peeping curiously out of the
carriage. Then of course they had to tell her the truth.

"We are three leagues from the station in front of us, and about four
from the one behind us, and there is no prospect of our getting on any
further. All four horses are lame, they have been damaged during the
shoeing."

"What steeple is that in front of us?"

"Oroshaza, I fancy, but with these four lame horses I don't believe we
shall get there before midnight."

Henrietta perceived the confusion of the old