19. The shearing was finished

The shearing was finished. The boundaries had been checked. The one thing left now was to return the mare to her owner somewhere in the Waikato district. The owner had lent the mare to Jim on condition that it would be returned before her foal was born.

On the last day Liyan could keep quiet. She hated this icy cold house, not really meant for a Chinese doll, friend of a flute.

- "You can go to the shed on your own, I'm staying here to-day," she said to Elle in the morning when Jim knocked at the door.

Sheep, dogs, horses, nothing was of any interest any more. She locked herself up in the room wishing to avoid to meet Victoria again at all cost. According to her she would have easuly burnt the doll without trial.

In short the mare had to be returned to her owner, that was the last assignment. As a horse trailer had to be rented Jim had made a few phone calls to get the best bargain and as he was getting into his car to go and get the van, he had said to Elle:

- "You'll find her bridle in the round roofed shed, where the straw is stored. It's the blue one. Try and put it on her. See you later."

She found the bridle. The reins were made of worn out blue nylon. "That's quite some time I haven't put a bridle on a horse", thought she, "I'm glad Liyan stayed in the house, there'll be no witness!"


Day after day she had nonetheless managed to make friends with the two horses. The jealous and bad tempered poney remained aloof still but he could follow the mare when she trotted towards Elle. Perched on a wooden fence Elle had persistantly called the mare by her name until she decided to come for a pat of her own accord. Diplomatic relations had not gone any further.