CHAPTER ONE.AN ACCIDENT AND SOME OF ITS CURIOUS RESULTS.Every one has heard of those ponies--those shaggy, chubby,innocent-looking little creatures--for which the world is indebted, wesuppose, to Shetland.Well, once on a time, one of the most innocent-looking, chubbiest, andshaggiest of Shetland ponies--a dark brown one--stood at the door of amansion in the west-end of London.It was attached to a wickerwork vehicle which resembled a largeclothes-basket on small wheels. We do not mean, of course, that thepony was affectionately attached to it. No; the attachment wasinvoluntary and unavoidable, by reason of a brand-new yellow leatherharness with brass buckles. It objected to the attachment, obviously,for it sidled this way, and straddled that way, and whisked its enormouslittle tail, and tossed its rotund little head, and stamped itsridiculously small feet; and champed its miniature bit, as if it hadbeen a war-horse of the largest size, fit to carry a Wallace, a Bruce,or a Richard of the Lion-heart, into the midst of raging battle.And no wonder; for many months had not elapsed since that brown creaturehad kicked up its little heels, and twirled its tail, and shaken itsshaggy mane in all the wild exuberance of early youth and unfetteredfreedom on the heather hills of its native island.In the four-wheeled basket sat a little girl whom it is useless todescribe as beautiful. She was far beyond that! Her delicate colour,her little straight nose, her sparkling teeth, her rosebud of a mouth,her enormous blue eyes, and floods of yellow hair--pooh! these are notworth mentioning in the same sentence with her expression. It was thatwhich carried all before it, and swept up the adoration ofman-and-woman-kind as with the besom of fascination.