And he was the only one who did not immediately condemn the animal as being a nasty, vicious brute, fit only to be a cart horse that would be worked hard enough to keep it too exhausted to exhibit any temperament at all. Indeed, it was a miracle that the horse did not subject the boy to the wicked kicks and nips that it gave to everyone else who tried to approach it. When William appeared, the flaring nostrils relaxed and the rolling eyes focused on him with something akin to trust. “I think he likes apples,” William confided to his sister the morning after the horse’s arrival. “Cook gave me a bit of apple tart yesterday afternoon when I was feeling a bit peckish and he licked my fingers. I shall ask Mrs. Hodges if I may take some from the storeroom to give him.” Just as William predicted, apples were a huge success and the household grew accustomed to seeing him with his pockets bulging awkwardly as he headed toward the stables. Caesar, as the horse had been named, seemed to be ready to act like a reasonable creature for a few bits of apple and words of gentle encouragement from his young master.
What do You think about The Gallant Guardian (1988)?
