"Look how fat you are Ruby!" said old Diamond. "You are so
plump and your skin shines so, you ought to be ashamed of
yourself."
"There's no harm in being fat," said Ruby in a deprecating
tone. "No, nor in being sleek. I may as well shine as not."
"No harm?" retorted Diamond. "Is it no harm to go eating up
all poor master's oats, and taking up so much of his time
grooming you, when you only work six hours -- no, not six hours
a day, and, as I hear, get along no faster than a big dray-horse
with two tons behind him? -- So they tell me."
"Your master's not mine," said Ruby. "I must attend to my
own master's interests, and eat all that is given me, and be
sleek and fat as I can, and go no faster than I need."
"Now really if the rest of the horses weren't all asleep,
poor things -- they work till they're tired -- I do believe they
would get up and kick you out of the stable. You make me ashamed
of being a horse. You dare to say my master ain't your master!
That's your gratitude for the way he feeds you and spares you!
Pray where would your carcass be if it weren't for him?"
"He doesn't do it for my sake. If I were his own horse, he
would work me as hard as he does you."
"And I'm proud to be so worked.
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