But where was the shoe?
I gave the horse some oats, cooked an egg and a cup of coffee
for myself at the little kerosene stove, and broke up a dog
biscuit for Bock. I marvelled once more at the completeness
of Parnassus' furnishings. Bock helped me to scour the pan.
He sniffed eagerly at the cap when I showed it to him, and
wagged his tail.
It seemed to me that the only thing I could do was to leave
Parnassus and the animals where they were and retrace my steps
as far as the Pratt farm. Undoubtedly Mr. Pratt would be glad
to sell me a horse-shoe and send his hired man to do the job
for me. I could not drive Peg as she was, with a sore foot
and without a shoe. I judged Parnassus would be quite safe:
the lane seemed to be a lonely one leading to a deserted
quarry. I tied Bock to the steps to act as a guard, took my
purse and the Professor's cap with me, locked the door of the
van, and set off along the back track. Bock whined and tugged
violently when he saw me disappearing, but I could see no
other course.
The lane rejoined the main road about half a mile back. I
must have been asleep or I could never have made the mistake
of turning off. I don't see why Peg should have made the
turn, unless her foot hurt and she judged the side track would
be a good place to rest.
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