Must I give way and room for your rash choler?
Shall I be frighted when a madman stares?
Go show your slaves how choleric you are!
And make your bondsmen tremble! I'll not blench!
Shakespeare
It happened that about sunrise that morning Wool awoke in the cellar,
and remembered that on the night previous his master had commanded him
to sally forth in the storm and seek his young mistress, and had
forbidden him, on pain of broken bones, to return without bringing her
safe. Therefore, what did the honest soul do but steal out to the
stables, saddle and mount a horse and ride back to the house just as
Mrs. Condiment had come out into the poultry yard to get eggs for
breakfast.
"Missus Compliment, ma'am, I'se been out all night in search of Miss
Caterpillar, without finding of her. Is she come back, ma'am?"
"Lor', no, indeed, Wool! I'm very anxious, and the major is taking on
dreadful! But I hope she is safe in some house. But, poor Wool, you
must have had a dreadful time out all night in the storm looking for
her!"
"Awful! Missus Compliment, ma'am, awful!" said Wool.
"Indeed, I know you had, poor creature, come in and get some warm
breakfast," said the kind old lady.
"I daren't, Missus Compliment. Old marse forbid me to show my face to
him until I fetch Miss Caterpillar home safe," said Wool, turning his
horse's head as if to go. In doing so he saw Capitola galloping toward
the house, and with an exclamation of joy pointed her out to the old
lady and rode on to meet her.
"Oh, Miss Caterpillar, I'se so glad I've found you! I'se done been out
looking for you all night long!" exclaimed Wool, as he met her.
Capitola pulled up her horse and surveyed the speaker with a comical
expression, saying: "Been out all night looking for me! Well, I must say you seem in a fine
state of preservation for a man who has been exposed to the storm all
night. You have not a wet thread on you."
"Lor', miss, it rained till one o'clock, and then the wind riz and
blowed till six and blowed me dry," said Wool, as he sprang off his
horse and helped his young mistress to alight.
Then, instead of taking the beasts to the stable, he tied them to the
tree and hurried into the house and upstairs to his master's room, to
apprise him of the return of the lost sheep, Capitola.