"'This cow,' said the man, as he patted its sleek hide, 'is the best in the stall; I am very sorry to lose her, but I know that she is falling into good hands; I recollect what good care you took of your old cow: she was the best cow in these parts, except the one I bring you.'
"Margaret overwhelmed the man with thanks.
"'Yes,' said she, 'it is a beautiful cow; look at its shiny hide, look at its well-formed horns, look at its soft, loving eyes—surely there never was such a cow before or since. O, I cannot thank the knight enough for this kind present. How can I show my gratitude?'
"'Nay,' the man answered, 'this is but a part of the reward which your son is to receive. He has done the country good service, and well deserves all that he gets.'
"Margaret offered the servant money, but the honest man replied that his master had strictly forbidden him to accept any gratuity.
"'My good lady,' he said, 'has already given me for this very journey more money than I could think of accepting from you. Farewell. God's blessing be on you.'"
"What a fortunate thing it was," said Henry, "that the goat should have been tied to the door of the old ruin; how lucky it was for George."
"Dear child," said grandpa, "fortune and luck had nothing to do with it."
"Nothing to do with it, grandpa? Why was it not luck, and good luck too, that it all turned out so well; I am sure it must have been."
"There was no luck in it, child; it was something far different from that."