‘What for?’ said Gerald, wincing slightly away.

‘For treating your horse so badly. Oh, I hated you so much!’

‘What did he do?’ sang Hermione.

‘He made his lovely sensitive Arab horse stand with him at the railway-crossing whilst a horrible lot of trucks went by; and the poor thing, she was in a perfect frenzy, a perfect agony. It was the most horrible sight you can imagine.’

‘Why did you do it, Gerald?’ asked Hermione, calm and interrogative.

‘She must learn to stand — what use is she to me in this country, if she shies and goes off every time an engine whistles.’

‘But why inflict unnecessary torture?’