Diana Pullein-Thompson: Horses at Home/Friends Must Part (eBook) Pre-order out October 24

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[Friends Must Part]
“She’s gone!” yelled Ian.

“She jumped right in front of our very eyes!” yelled Rodney.

“Where, where?” I called, racing across the lawn.

“Out into the road and now we can’t see her! It’s too dark!” they both shrieked together.

“Gosh, it was a super jump!” added Rodney.

“She’ll be with Brandysnap now,” I said, slowing down to a walk and realising the neighing had stopped and all was quiet in the Kingsleys’ paddock.

“Brandysnap; Brandysnap? What are you talking about?” asked Rodney.

“Harriet’s got him. She was the girl I told you about. But I definitely like Gingersnap best now. I’m glad I’ve got her now,” I said shortly.

“She’s a wizard jumper … honestly!” said Rodney. I climbed the fence and crossed the road, and there in the Kingsleys’ little paddock I could see two figures—Gingersnap and Brandysnap standing quietly side by side.

I remembered I had no halter and no tit-bit. I called softly to Rodney, asking him to fetch them for me, but he didn’t hear and then I shouted, and that started Sheba barking in Nut Tree Cottage.

“Come along, come along—coop, coop,” I said quietly, approaching the two ponies. They threw up their heads, gave me one startled glance and then, with a couple of snorts, galloped away across the dew-wet grass. I remembered suddenly that we had never asked Mr. Hartley if they were good to be caught. I might spend all night following Gingersnap round the field! And then not catch her. I waited until the ponies had quietened down again and Rodney had obligingly returned with the halter and three carrots.

Then, holding out a carrot and saying, “Gingersnap, whoa my little Gingersnap,” I tried again.

But the two ponies walked briskly away with their tails kinked high over their backs.

The moon had not come up yet and it was very dark, and the ponies did not know me.

“Please can you possibly get me a bucket of oats?” I asked my brothers.

“Where are they now? We don’t know,” said Rodney.

“All right, never mind, I’ll go,” I told them.

I went round to the barn and fetched some, and then my parents appeared and said the boys had told them what had happened. Had Gingersnap hurt herself? I told them it was too dark to see, but she didn’t look lame.

We had a try with the bucket of oats, but in vain. We couldn’t get within twenty yards of the ponies, and they were obviously wildly excited.

“The only thing you can do,” said Daddy, “is to ask the Kingsleys if you can leave Gingersnap in there for the night. You must explain what happened.”

“Oh no!” I said.

“Andy doesn’t want to do that, because of the ridiculous quarrel she’s had with Harriet,” said Mummy.

“Well, this is a good opportunity to make it up, and about time too,” said Daddy. “Go on, Andy, do as you’re told.”

“I’ll go,” volunteered Rodney.

“No. It’s Andy’s pony and she must look after it,” said Daddy firmly.

There was no way out. I crossed the little paddock and walked down the little path, which Harriet calls the Nut Walk, because there are nut trees on either side, and stepped over the paving stones to the front door. I knew the garden so well, had so often played there with Harriet in the past, that I could easily find my way in the dark. A light shone from the parlour window, through the expensive cottagey curtains, which Mrs. Kingsley had bought in London.

I hesitated, thinking what I would say when Harriet answered the door, and then I knocked and the knock seemed to ring right through the cottage. I heard the ponies snorting in the paddock and the sound of galloping hoofs on wet grass, and I realised Daddy was having another try. Then the little oak door opened to reveal Mrs. Kingsley. I was so surprised not to see Harriet that I gave a little gasp and fell silent.

“Do you want to see Harriet? She’s cleaning her new tack in the kitchen,” said Mrs. Kingsley.

“Oh, no,” I said. And then I explained. “Do you mind terribly if we leave Gingersnap in there till morning? I finished.

“But, of course, my dear. That’s quite all right. I expect Brandysnap will be thrilled to have her there; he was terribly lonely. But we never realised you were the other customer. How thrilling!” said Mrs. Kingsley with her sparkling smile.

I thanked her and went away, sorry now that I had not seen Harriet.

“It’s all right. We can leave her there,” I told my parents.

“Are you friends again now?” asked Daddy.

“No fear. Not with her. It’s a feud to the death,” I said firmly.

I had some prep. to do and once again I could not concentrate, but I finished it somehow and went to sleep thinking of the low marks I would get on the morrow.
Daddy had promised to waken me early, as he expected to be up most of the night with a calving cow, so I could catch Gingersnap before going to school next morning.
It was a wet cold dawn, and Daddy said, “Leave her, Andy.
George and I will have a try later on.”

But, once awake, I was determined to catch Gingersnap myself. After all, she’s my pony, I thought with pleasure. I dressed in dungarees and polo-collared pullover and, collecting the halter and oats and donning a mac, I hurried out into the rain.

Gingersnap and Brandysnap were standing together, looking very sweet, under a sycamore tree and the rain had smoothed their manes and coats, giving them a sleek appearance. I rattled the bucket hopefully and they looked across at me and pricked their ears.

All the excitement of the evening before seemed to have left them and presently they came up to me, and I caught Gingersnap quite easily. I led her to the little gate, which opens into the Kingsleys’ garden, and then down the Nut Walk into the road. Harriet looked out of a window, but did not wave.

The rain started to come down in torrents and Gingersnap bowed her head and then suddenly stopped, digging in her toes and uttering a loud neigh. I had a job to get her along after that and I was soaked by the time we reached the stable.

George called to me to run indoors and kindly offered to get her hay and water. Blondie came racing from the garden and covered me with wet paw-marks, and, from an upstairs window, Mummy called, “Hurry up, Andy. It’s breakfast and you’ll be late to school at this rate.”

Horses at Home
Human: Nicholas and Clare Field, Gay Field, Mr and Mrs Field, Mrs Tubb, Pauline, Derek, Dick, Wendy, Bobbie
Horses: Jubilee, Harvester, Dawn, Tinkerbell

Friends Must Part
Human: Andy, Ian, Rodney Fairfax, Mr and Mrs Fairfax, Mrs Biggs
Harriet Kingsley, Mr and Mrs Kingsley
At school: Bobs, Susan, Muriel, Pauline
Horses:
Peppermint, Gingersnap (Celandine); Brandysnap

Horses at Home