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The Further Adventures of Toad
"Ifyouplease,Imusttakealittletimetoworkthatout,andseejustwhatitcomesto."
Heclimbeddownoffhishorse,andleftittograze,andsatdownbythegipsy,anddidsumsonhisfingers,andatlasthesaid,"Ashillingaleg?Why,thatcomestoexactlyfourshillings,andnomore.O,no;Icouldnotthinkofacceptingfourshillingsforthisbeautifulyounghorseofmine."
"Well,"saidthegipsy,"I’lltellyouwhatIwilldo.I’llmakeitfiveshillings,andthat’sthree-and-sixpencemorethantheanimal’sworth.Andthat’smylastword."
ThenToadsatandponderedlonganddeeply.Forhewashungryandquitepenniless,andstillsomeway—heknewnothowfar—fromhome,andenemiesmightstillbelookingforhim.Tooneinsuchasituation,fiveshillingsmayverywellappearalargesumofmoney.Ontheotherhand,itdidnotseemverymuchtogetforahorse.Butthen,again,thehorsehadn’tcosthimanything;sowhateverhegotwasallclearprofit.Atlasthesaidfirmly,"Lookhere,gipsy!Itellyouwhatwewilldo;andthisismylastword.Youshallhandmeoversixshillingsandsixpence,cashdown;andfurther,inadditionthereto,youshallgivemeasmuchbreakfastasIcanpossiblyeat,atonesittingofcourse,outofthatironpotofyoursthatkeepssendingforthsuchdeliciousandexcitingsmells.Inreturn,Iwillmakeovertoyoumyspiritedyounghorse,withallthebeautifulharnessandtrappingsthatareonhim,freelythrownin.
