those misty gray mornings, watching the beautiful horse. Sometimes Penny was calm. Sometimes she pulled on her rope or raised her head to sniff the wind. She’s thinking about running away, thought Felicity. She’s thinking about freedom.
The first time Felicity climbed off the fence into the pasture, Penny tossed her head and danced about. But she did not whinny or shy away. Soon Felicity thought Penny expected her to come each morning and maybe even looked forward to seeing her. Penny knew Felicity was kind and patient and would not hurt her. With all her heart, Felicity wished she had more time to spend with Penny so that the horse would trust her completely.
One morning after breakfast, Felicity was trying to hide her yawns as she practiced her stitches. She sat up straight when she heard her mother ask, “Ben, did you put your breeches in the mending pile, as I told you to?”
“Yes, ma’am,” answered Ben.
“I don’t see them there,” said Mrs. Merriman. “Where are they?”
“I do not know, ma’am,” said Ben.
“Well, look about you, lad!” said Mrs. Merriman. “Breeches don’t just disappear!”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Ben.
Felicity kept her head down but watched Ben out of the corner of her eye. He looked confused and a little embarrassed. He has no idea what has happened to his breeches, thought Felicity. I wonder how he would feel if he did know?
But no one knew Felicity’s secret. No one knew about the lovely times she had with Penny all those dreamlike mornings. Felicity’s secret made her happy. All day long, while she was mending or practicing her writing or playing with Nan and William, Felicity thought about Penny. The beautiful horse was growing more friendly every day.
Felicity always took an apple to Penny. One morning, after Felicity had been visiting her for a few weeks, Penny took the apple right from her hand. Felicity held her breath when she felt Penny’s warm nose tickling her fingers. She stood still. She did not try to touch Penny. From that time on, Penny made a game of asking for the apple. She would nudge Felicity gently and nicker until Felicity held the apple out to her.
On one drizzly morning, Penny nuzzled Felicity for the apple as usual. But before she took it, Penny raised her head, whinnied, and seemed worried. Felicity stepped back.
“What’s wrong, Penny?” she whispered. Just then Felicity heard dogs barking and yowling. Mr. Nye! He was coming out to the pasture! Felicity dropped to the ground, rolled under the fence, and hid in the tall, scraggly grass. Penny whinnied and pawed the ground.
“Don’t start with me, ye useless horse!” Mr. Nye snarled. He came into the pasture and stood by the fence, near Felicity’s hiding spot. Felicity dared not move. Her heart thumped as she watched Mr. Nye put a bucket of water on the ground in front of Penny. “No oats till ye let me ride ye,” he muttered to the horse. “Starve to death for all I care.” As soon as Mr. Nye turned his back, Felicity got up and ran home as fast as she could.
But nothing—not even Mr. Nye—could keep Felicity away from Penny. The mornings grew more chill as September blew into October. Felicity shivered when she pulled herself out of bed these mornings. But the sky stayed dark longer, so she had more time with Penny.
There was frost on the grass the morning Felicity untied Penny’s rope from the stake and led her around the pasture for the first time. Penny followed behind Felicity, leaving the whole length of the rope between them. But after a week or so, Penny followed with her nose right next to Felicity’s shoulder. Sometimes Penny even pushed at her playfully. At the end of their walks, Penny let Felicity stroke her neck and rub her nose.
“Aye, that’s my girl,” Felicity whispered in her ear. “You know I love you, don’t you, Penny? Don’t you, girl? You know I won’t rush you.”
The day came when all Felicity’s patience was rewarded. One morning Penny was standing quietly next to the fence as if she were waiting for Felicity. Slowly, Felicity untied the rope from the stake.
Slowly, she climbed onto Penny’s back. At first, Penny trotted. Felicity sat up straight and held on to her mane. As Penny’s stiff trot eased into a smooth canter, Felicity leaned closer and closer to Penny’s neck. Soon they were flying across the pasture, moving as swift and sure as the wind. Penny’s hooves hardly seemed to touch the ground. Above them, the sky was pearly gray. The wind made Felicity’s eyes water. She had moved that fast only in her dreams.
Every day Penny did something new. The first time Penny jumped over a small pile of hay, Felicity was so surprised she fell off the horse’s back. After that, they tried higher and higher jumps—a heap of rocks, a tree stump, a stack of logs. Felicity never fell off again. She learned that Penny tensed her neck just before she jumped. That was a signal to Felicity to hold on tight.
Penny was full of surprises. One morning, she carried Felicity across the pasture in a gallop, then leaped effortlessly over the broken-down part of the fence. That morning they rode farther than ever before. Felicity lost track of time as they cantered deeper and deeper into the woods with no fences to stop them. When they jumped back over the fence, back into the pasture, Felicity retied Penny’s rope to the stake quickly. She knew it was late. The sky was turning pink, and the mist was lifting out of the meadows.
Felicity ran home. She slipped into the stable as usual and changed from the breeches to her petticoats quickly. She was just rolling up the breeches to hide them under the bucket when she heard someone say, “You!”
It was Ben.
Felicity froze with the breeches in her hands.
She said nothing.
“What do you have there?” asked Ben in his coldest voice. He came forward. “What? You have my best Sunday breeches?” He took them out of Felicity’s hands and looked at them. “They’re wet and covered with mud!”
He sniffed them. “Whoosh! They smell like a horse!” He looked at Felicity. “Felicity, are you—”
Felicity interrupted him. “I’m sorry, Ben. I was borrowing them. I just…I just needed them.”
Ben sat down. “Felicity, tell me what you are doing,” he said quietly.
Felicity took a deep breath. “I’m visiting Penny—the horse at the tannery.”
“That horse?” said Ben. His eyes were wide.
“Oh, she’s so fine, Ben,” said Felicity. “She’s gentle and dear. And she’s so fast!”
“What!” Ben exclaimed. “You mean you’re riding her?”
“Oh, yes!” said Felicity. “It’s a wonder, Ben. It’s just like riding the wind.”
Ben shook his head. “Felicity, I don’t know whether you are the bravest or the most foolish girl I’ve ever known,” he said. “I’d be afraid to ride that horse. She looks like she would throw any rider sky-high!”
“She was afraid at first, but now she trusts me,” said Felicity.
“How long have you been going out there?” Ben asked.
“Every day since the rain stopped,” Felicity answered.
