Felix, as he rode away saddened, thought to himself: "That we should come to this--made in the Divine image, and thrown at last into a stable-bucket! The limbs that bounded over the sward, the nostrils that scented the clover, and the eyes that watched and pondered, perhaps as mine did but now, over the sunset! Ah, the tinker's ass, browsing on the thistles, is thrusting his nose into the bucket, I see, to sniff contemptuously at it! `Let us rejoice'--what a satire--" "Hi, there! Hoi, you, measter!" He looked back, saw the landlord panting after him, and drew rein and waited till he came up. What he wanted was to know whether Felix could tell him any further particulars respecting the sudden death of Valentine's dark horse that had taken place very early that morning, during a private trial upon the downs. One of the men at the inn had recognised Felix as a friend of Valentine, and the landlord said everybody about there was so mixed up and interested in the horse that he had made bold to ask. Felix was quite taken by surprise. The news had not reached Greene Ferne when he called; probably Valentine, after the accident, had been too occupied to come down from the training-stables some miles up among the hills. "What was the cause?" he asked, after explaining that he knew nothing of it. "A' believe a' broke a blood-vessel. A' wur auver trained, bless ee, and auver rode. Zum thenks it wur done a purpose by thuck black chap, the trainer." "Why should you suspect him?" "Aw, a' be a bad un; a' can't look 'ee straight in the face; a' sort of slyers [looks askance] at ee. Thur be a main lot of money gone auver thuck job." "Well, this is news," said Felix. "Good evening." The landlord touched his hat, and went back, much delighted to have been the first to tell the "paason" the story. Felix was much concerned at the event, because he knew that Valentine's disappointment, apart from pecuniary loss, would be extreme; besides which almost all their circle had more or less backed the horse--Geoffrey, Squire Thorpe, and all. He had done his best to persuade them not to bet; but now they had lost he was deeply disturbed. He felt half inclined to turn back, thinking the event would very likely put the irascible old man Fisher into a furious state, as he was believed to have "invested" largely. These delays, too, had brought on the twilight, and already the new moon was gleaming in the west; but, unwilling to return, he finally resolved to go through with his journey.