She easily made friends with the dog, who trotted quietly away after being patted and quieted.
It was plain that some of the house servants were already astir, but Sally kept out of sight as best she could.
One thing she did that pleased her greatly.
She got into the barn and filled the front of the coat with hay. This she carried to Hotspur, who enjoyed the crisp breakfast greatly.
"I wish I could bring you water, dear," she said, "but how am I to get my own breakfast?"
For with all her shrewdness, the maiden had given not one thought to food when she started out, and a healthy maid of fourteen could not long be unmindful of hunger after a four hours' ride.
In a few moments however, she was to be glad of having made friends with the great dog. For a colored boy put a pan with meat bones, cold biscuit, and a basin of water by the shed, for the dog's breakfast.
As the boy slouched away, up crept Sally, and snatched two of the biscuit, and oh, what luck! a good doughnut, long and twisted, was close against the biscuit. She snatched that too.
"Surely I may have part of the dog's food without stealing," she said.
Then she cast about in her mind how next to proceed. Time was precious.