The mares came to the rails to watch them pass, pleased with this small event in their placid lives; and the foals ran round and round in a self-induced excitement. But Timber took no notice of them. He had lost any active interest in mares at a very early age, and just now his whole interest seemed to be in the fact that he had been outwitted, and that the outwitting one made sounds which he did not understand. His ears, which should have been pricked at the thought of his nearing stable, were restless and enquiring.
Brat rode round the front of the house, as Jane had that morning, but he saw no one. He went on to the stables and found Eleanor just riding in with a led horse, having given Tony his lesson and left him at Clare Park.
"Hullo!" she said, "have you been out on Timber?" She sounded a little surprised. "I hope Simon warned you about him."
"Yes, thank you, he warned me."
"One of my bad buys," she said ruefully, eyeing Timber as they rode side by side towards the yard.
"Yours?" he said.
"Yes. Didn't Simon tell you about that?"
"No."
"That was nice of him. I expect he didn't want you to find out too soon what a fool of a sister you have." She smiled a little at him, as if she were glad to be his sister. "I bought him at the Lerridge Hunt sale. It was Timber who killed old Felix. Old Felix Hunstanton, the Master, you know. Did Simon tell you?"
"No. No, he just told me about his tricks."