Untitled - Beeldbibliotheek

THE HUMAN SIDE 35Blacksmith for the principals on both sideshad now retired from the arena. The crowd wasveering round, and there were even some whosuggested that the Postman had gone to harnessthe pony. At last Herbert advanced with ahorse in either hand, and the crowd made way forhim to pass. At that dramatic moment theBlacksmith broke the tense silence, as ifsummingup."The plain truth is," he said," he's one in athousand."And so we drove away, and Ineed not dwellupon our encounter with the Postman's Mother,who met us on the road, protesting that the ponyin reality was her private property.Even in the most pleasant wayside conversationson a caravan tour one cannot, I suppose,always expect to meet with original views, andthere is a certain bogy of reiteration which pursuesme. If I relate to you what happened when I wentshopping in Aberfeldy you are to understandthat this isonly a fair sample of what alwayshappens equally elsewhere, except that this wasthe only time that I rebelled.I had started with the butcher, who had beenkeeping his eye upon the expedition through hiswindow ever since it arrived.