pains. Ah! now, instead of whipping me on, increasing my wretchedness every moment, but for my own fault she would have seen to me as before, and in a moment my tormentor would have been removed. The knowledge that I had brought it all upon myself did not tend to mitigate the pain, and though I tried to limp on as fast as possible, yet I nearly fainted with the agony I was enduring.

At length my evident discomfort moved the compassion of my kind-hearted mistress. "I do really think Tuppy has got a stone in h's foot today," she said; "at any rate I will look before I go on any further." Who may tell how thankful I felt for a kindness so much greater than I deserved, and as she got out of the chaise I held up my that she might know at once where the stone was, and see that this time at least I was not deceiving her.

foot

"Poor Tuppy, poor fellow!" exclaimed my mistress, as she carefully drew out the stone from beneath the shoe; "I do not wonder you limped, it must have hurt you dreadfully; but see, Tuppy, what it is to deceive; no one believes you when you really are hurt. Cunning people outwit themselves; I wish I could make you understand me, Tuppy. I am very sorry for you, poor-poor Tuppy."

Her kindness softened my heart; not all the pain and the punishment could have made me repent so deeply as my mistress's kind words. Oh! how I wished I could make her know all that was passing in my mind, and I rubbed my head against her, and looked up in her face, hoping she would see how truly I thanked her; for the moment my feelings towards my mistress had made me forget my own sufferings, but no sooner did I put my foot to the ground than I was recalled to a recollection of my late agony. It was in vain to attempt to trot, the slowest hobble gave me such pain that I was obliged to stand quite still to recover my breath. My dear mistress seemed sincerely sorry; she turned towards home immediately, driving me back as slowly and gently as possible. On my arrival at home warm fomentations were instantly applied, but so great an amount of inflammation had set in that it was days before I could hobble about even in my field and on the soft green grass, and not for weeks did I quite get over the effects of my sad misadventure.

During the period of my illness I had plenty of time for reflection, and for seeing not only how foolish but how wrong my conduct had been. "Ah, Tuppy," said my mistress one day when, as usual, she had been tenderly inquiring after my wounded

foot. "I hope this will be a lesson to you for life. We have all got our cross, Tuppy. It lies in the pathway of each one of us. We must take it up and carry it, or we shall stumble over it and hurt ourselves, and that is what you have done, Tuppy."

"How can you be so absurd, Annie, as to talk in this way to a donkey?" said my mistress's companion.

in

"Tuppy understands me, I am sure he does," was the reply; "look how sensibly he looks up my face, he can do almost everything but speak."

And though perhaps I did not understand everything she said just in the sense which you would apply to it, kind reader, yet I took in quite sufficient to make me deeply regret the past, and determine to try and amend in the future.

CHAPTER IV.

A Real Grievance-Richard and I declare War against each other-A Struggle-I gain a Victory, and am conquered in my turn-I change Masters, and enter a new phase of Existence.

THERE is no lot in life so perfectly happy but that it is possible to find some cause of complaint, and indeed it is too often the case that the fewer grievances people have, the more you hear them grumble. Now I have no doubt I had a great many imaginary, but I had one real unmistakeable source of unhappiness. Amongst the servants at the hall, was a boy whom my master had originally taken on out of charity. He was a quick, clever lad, but of a nasty, spiteful disposition, though this he was clever enough to keep out of his master's sight. He delighted in teasing and cruelty, and nothing seemed to make him happier than to be able to render others miserable. Against myself he had an especial spite, and endless were the tricks with which he contrived to annoy me. Sometimes, just when I was going to be harnessed to the

carriage, he would place a piece of holly or something equally prickly just under my tail,and when of course I tried to kick the inconvenience away, he would declare it was all vice on my part; so I got the whipping he so richly deserved. Then again, sometimes when I came home from a journey ready to drop with thirst, the ill-natured little fellow would hold the pail to my lips as handy as possible, and then at the very moment when, eager to drink, I was putting down my mouth for a draught, he would suddenly tilt up the pail, making the contents fly into my eyes and ears, or else spilling the water on the stones around.

These, and a hundred similar injuries, which it would be needless to detail, and which I am quite sure it is better to forget, made me hate the very sight of Richard; and so little pains did I take to conceal my feelings, that my mistress soon discovered there was something wrong between us. "I cannot think what it is, papa," I one day overheard her say, "that makes Tuppy so dislike Richard; I am quite sure he must ill-treat him."

What would not I have given at that moment to have had the power of stating my grievances to my kind mistress, but that could not be; I could only sigh, wag my ears very slowly, and trust to