lamely that it became impossible even for her preoccupied rider not
to perceive that she had cast all her four shoes.

"Poor beast!" he cried dismayed, "how has this happened, and where?
Oh, Pepper, how could you be so careless? I have not a penny in my
purse to buy you new shoes, my poor Pepper. Do you not remember
where you lost them?"

The little nag licked her master's hand (for he had dismounted to
examine her trouble), and looked at him with great eyes full of
affection, and then she flung up her head and whinnied louder than
ever. The sound of it was like nothing so much as laughter. Then she
went on, hobbling as best she could, and the King walked by her side
with his hand on her neck. In this way they came to a small village,
and here the nag turned up a by-road and halted outside the
blacksmith's forge. The smith's Lad stood within, clinking at the
anvil, the smuttiest Lad smith ever had.

"Lad!" cried the King.

The Lad looked up from his work and came at once to the door, wiping
his hands upon his leather apron.

"Where am I?" asked the King.

"In the village of Washington," said the Lad.

"What! Under the Ring?" cried the King.

"Yes, sir," said the Lad.