Dinah's family lived in a small farmhouse, up a green lane, close by a
meadow with some fine shady trees; there were two cows feeding in it.
A young man asked Jerry to bring his trap into the meadow, and he would
tie me up in the cowshed; he wished he had a better stable to offer.
If your cows would not be offended, said Jerry, there is nothing my
horse would like so well as to have an hour or two in your beautiful
meadow; he's quiet, and it would be a rare treat for him.
Do, and welcome, said the young man; the best we have is at your
service for your kindness to my sister; we shall be having some dinner
in an hour, and I hope you'll come in, though with mother so ill we are
all out of sorts in the house.
Jerry thanked him kindly, but said as he had some dinner with him there
was nothing he should like so well as walking about in the meadow.
When my harness was taken off I did not know what I should do
first--whether to eat the grass, or roll over on my back, or lie down
and rest, or have a gallop across the meadow out of sheer spirits at
being free; and I did all by turns. Jerry seemed to be quite as happy
as I was; he sat down by a bank under a shady tree, and listened to the
birds, then he sang himself, and read out of the little brown book he is
so fond of, then wandered round the meadow, and down by a little brook,
where he picked the flowers and the hawthorn, and tied them up with
long sprays of ivy; then he gave me a good feed of the oats which he had
brought with him; but the time seemed all too short--I had not been in a
field since I left poor Ginger at Earlshall.
We came home gently, and Jerry's first words were, as we came into the
yard, Well, Polly, I have not lost my Sunday after all, for the birds
were singing hymns in every bush, and I joined in the service; and as
for Jack, he was like a young colt.
When he handed Dolly the flowers she jumped about for joy.
38 Dolly and a Real Gentleman
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