Black Beauty Page #3

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Wait!

I know who that is.

It's Joe!

Older, taller...

...but it's him!

Where'd he go?

- What happened to his knees?

- Stop!

- He took a spill in the stalls.

- A spill?

What are you doing? Where's Joe?

There he is.

Let me go!

Lively one, isn't he?

Joe, don't leave!

I'm here!

Horses for sale!

Twenty-five guineas, he's yours.

Fifteen.

- Eighteen.

- Sixteen.

- Eighteen!

- Seventeen, not a penny more.

Done!

How are you supposed to get through?

There were too many people.

There was too much noise.

The smell was awful.

Coming through. There's a lad.

Where was the grass?

Where were the trees?

Excuse me.

It was cramped...

...and damp...

...and dank and dark and dreary.

Jerry, what's wrong with him?

He's frightened.

Step up.

Let me go. I want to go and pet him.

Give me a brush, Dolly. Don't worry.

Harry, put some straw in that stall.

Dolly, no!

It's all right.

Come on. Let's do it quietly.

Give him a chance.

Up we go. There we are.

Thank you.

It's like baby fur here.

He's so soft.

Yeah, he is.

Come on, Pol, give us a hand.

How's it going with that straw?

All ready.

Go and get yourself a brush, then.

There.

He's not so frightened now.

And when he has to pull the cab?

Have faith.

I listened quietly.

What should we call him?

Jack. After the old one.

He's far blacker than Jack.

When's he's cleaned,

his color comes up lovely.

- Seeing something in him now, are you?

- I didn't say that.

All right.

We'll call you Black, because you are,

and Jack, after the old one.

And altogether, Black Jack,

because the odds are stacked...

...against us both.

Black Jack.

What you got?

Black Jack wants to be pretty.

Good idea.

All at once, I had hope.

It's good people that make good places.

Still, I wondered

what tomorrow would bring.

Walk on. Come on. That's it.

Walk on.

- Babaloo's Food Emporium.

- Rat problem solved.

Vermin exterminated!

Easy, boy.

Hello, Jerry! Have you got a good one?

Great one!

He's too black!

Be good for a funeral!

Good lad. Come around.

Braids on his mane and tail?

What? Are you going on a parade

this afternoon, Jerry?

He wanted to be pretty for his first day.

"Pretty for his first day?"

Did you hear that, lads?

Well, he's a regular dandy.

A bit like meself.

Why shouldn't you be?

Don't worry.

No worry, old Black, old Jack, old boy.

It's all right.

Jerry's hands.

The quiet of them...

...gave me confidence.

We spent our days

at one cab stand or another...

...collecting passengers.

It was a hard life.

The streets are hard on a horse's feet.

The cab is hard on a horse's back.

But I was lucky.

I had Jerry. We were in it together.

- Morning.

- Morning, Dinah.

Cabby!

There you go, Jerry.

Cabby!

- You all right, dear?

- Yes, I'm all right.

Let's get these up quickly.

You'll get run over.

Look sharp!

Put on the steam and get us to Victoria

by 10:
00.

We'll take you, but at the regular pace.

It'll mean a shilling extra.

At the regular pace.

I'm your man. I'll get you there in time.

It's against his conscience to work

his horse into a sweat, but not mine.

Make way.

Coming through!

Get up. Get up!

Easy, easy, peasy, little gee-gee.

You all right, Dinah?

I'm still in one piece, Jerry.

Bonkers, all of them.

Coming through!

Dinah Brown's mother...

...she's in a bad way.

Poor Dinah.

She can't even go to her.

The place is in the country...

...and there are no trains on Sunday.

The horse is tired, Polly. I'm tired.

It's our one day of rest.

But oughtn't we treat folks...

...the way we like to be treated?

You're giving me my Sunday sermon

early today.

I know if my mother was dying...

A lighter cart would make

a wonderful difference to the horse.

Look!

Here comes butcher Dawes now

to lend you his light trap.

You're a clever woman.

All right.

Fix me some bread and cheese

and I'll get ready.

Feel free to tie your horse with the cows.

The meadow belongs to us,

not to the estate.

I'd rather set him loose. It'd be a real treat

for him to have a turnout.

Kind to me, kind to the horse...

Run inside and see your mother.

You're a tough one, Jerry.

How can a person ever repay you?

Here we go.

Here we go.

Grass!

Not a cobblestone in sight.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

Now, where's that biscuit?

Running made me very happy.

Why shouldn't Jerry be happy too?

I want that!

Give it to me!

Give it here!

Right.

Thanks.

The visit to the country refreshed me.

But I found I couldn't stop thinking of her.

Then as if by magic...

...there she was.

My beautiful Ginger.

Oh, God, she was skin and bones.

What had they done to her?

She was almost too weak

to know who I was.

It's me, Ginger.

It's me.

The brightness was gone

from her beautiful eyes.

Her face, once so full of spirit,

was now full of suffering.

I tried to comfort her.

I wanted her to know she wasn't alone.

Don't give up, Ginger.

Get up!

Get on with you.

My precious friend.

That night, I dreamed of her.

I dreamed of what was.

And I dreamed of what might have been.

I'm here.

What is it?

And then I knew.

Goodbye, my sweet one.

Just be patient.

It's ladies and gents who pay our rent.

They'll be out anytime now, you'll see.

Begging your pardon, sir,

I was engaged to come round at 9:00.

As it's after midnight,

perhaps they wouldn't-

You'll be wanted soon enough.

The party's nearly over.

We waited for our passengers.

And waited.

People aren't thoughtless just to horses.

They're also cruel to each other.

Bless your heart, old man.

Good night.

Get a move on!

It's freezing.

Just in a moment, sir.

Don't be impertinent. We could've had

two more drinks "in a moment."

Walk on.

Something was the matter.

Jerry always looked after me.

But here was the boy instead.

Harry, I didn't want to trouble them

in the house.

How's your dad?

It's in his lungs, Mr. Crenshaw.

I'm very sorry.

Doctor says he'll tell Mom tonight.

He says Dad can't drive cabs no more.

Keep your chin up.

Help your mom.

Never drive a cab again?

How could that be?

It was good to be outside.

I wanted to go back to work.

No, Black.

We're not going to the cab stand.

We're just stretching your old legs,

old Jack.

- Morning, Dinah.

- Morning, Harry. Is your mama home?

Dolly, what do you think you're doing?

Packing. We're moving to the country.

Daddy's going to drive coaches. Dinah

says he'll never have to drive a cab...

...ever again.

What would happen now?

Even though cab work had taken its toll

on me...

...I had hoped to spend

the rest of my days with Jerry.

Goodbye...

...beautiful Black.

Daddy said to give you a kiss for him.

I was sent to a grain dealer, where

Jerry expected me to be treated fairly.

But what he expected and what was...

...were as different as a kind word is

from a whiplash.

Come on!

For two long years,

I pulled the heavy carts...

...until I could not pull anymore.

Sixteen guineas for the pair.

Wants you to ride and drive.

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