It seemed that the lock of the stable door was broken, and the horse had kicked away the frail fastening the old man had put up to keep the door closed, and so had got out and had broken through a hedge into a neighbouring garden.
"I can mend the lock, perhaps," said Jack. "Let me look at it."
"I wish you could, my lad," said the man; "for it's a good strong lock, though it is old-fashioned."
"Well, we'll tie up the horse, and then I'll soon have the lock off, and see what's amiss with it."
The animal, finding it was no use to resist any further, gave up the struggle, and allowed himself to be led into the stable and secured there, while Jack fetched his basket of tools and set to work to take off the lock.
It was a large old-fashioned thing, very dirty and rusty, and the spring quite ruined.
"It will take me an hour or two to clean it, and I must get a new spring for it; but when that is done, the lock will be as good as ever," said Jack, rubbing off some of the rust with his finger as he spoke.
"How much will it cost to do it up? It's worth a dozen of any new-fangled sort I could buy now," added the man.
Jack turned it over and looked at it again. "I'll do the work for a shilling, if you'll buy the spring," he said. "It won't cost much; only twopence or threepence," he added.
"All right! You shall do it then; and I'll fetch a cup of tea and a bite of bread and butter for you that you may get it done before dark. You leave your tools here, and go and get the spring." And he told Jack where he would find a shop that was likely to supply it, and gave him sixpence to pay for it.