Original subtitles

(upbeat music)

- Up!

Good.

Up.

Up.

(upbeat music continues)

- Isn't he beautiful?

- Yeah, certainly is and that tinker over there

seems to think so too.

- Buy him for me.

- Oh, maybe he's not for sale.

- You could buy anything, you could buy up the whole county,

you've said that often.

- Well, maybe Dr. Gordon would be glad

of a bit of hard cash.

Put a price on him, Fox.

- A hundred Guineas should buy it, in the ordinary way.

- [Susie] I've got to have him!

I must have him!

- But they won't sell him, Miss,

not without a lot of persuasion.

- They've got to sell, I'd give anything, anything.

- I'll do my best, Susie.

Drive on, Fox.

(gentle music)

(gentle music turns dramatic)

(upbeat music)

(upbeat music continues)

(gentle upbeat music)

I'll give you a hundred pounds for that horse of yours.

- I don't understand, you mean Black Beauty?

- My daughter's got her heart set on him.

- Oh dear, I am sorry about that.

- Make it 150 pounds.

- Black Beauty is one of the family, he isn't for sale.

- Nonsense, everything's for sale.

Name your price, I've plenty of cash.

- Hello, Susie.

Come to visit us?

- We've come to buy the horse.

- What horse?

- Black Beauty, of course.

- You're joking?

- You'll find it no joke, Father's inside buying him now.

(dramatic music)

- You're not selling Beauty, you can't!

- Well, no, of course we're not.

- Don't worry, Vicky, Black Beauty is still yours.

- But Susie told me-

- Susie's going to be disappointed.

But she's going to make my life miserable from now on.

- Not too miserable, surely.

Not with all that cash.

(bells tolling)

- Whoa, whoa.

(suspenseful music)

(tools clatter)

- There's someone in the stable.

- Vicky!

(dramatic music)

- There was someone here.

- Well, he's not here now.

- Could it be McPhee?

- McPhee?

No, I doubt it.

- Well, maybe he wanted some food for his horse.

- Oh, I don't think so,

he's a decent sort of fellow

and he knows I'm doing all I can for his little boy.

- Hmm.

The villagers seem to think all tinkers are thieves.

- Now tinkers are just like anybody else,

some are good, some are bad.

- Well.

We could ask him?

- All right, I've gotta visit my young patient anyway.

(solemn music)

- Come on, Beauty, time for lunch.

Come on, boy.

(solemn music continues)

(Beauty chunters)

What is it, Beauty?

What's the matter?

Come on.

(Beauty chunters)

Oh, well I expect your right,

it's too nice a day to go inside, isn't it?

You can go straight out to grass.

You silly boy.

(gentle music)

(gentle upbeat music)

- How's the patient today, McPhee?

- Oh, he seems a little better, Doctor,

I think you've put him on the right road.

- I'll just have a look at him.

Oh, by the way,

you weren't up at the stable this morning, were you?

- Me, sir?

No, I was never near it.

- No, I didn't think it was you.

- Somebody was, somebody who didn't want us to see him.

- Not me, Miss,

not after the doctor's been so good to my little boy.

Other people are interested in your horse, Miss.

- Susie and her father, I know all about that.

(gentle music)

(gentle upbeat music)

Easy, easy, Beauty, it's all right, it's only a gate.

(Beauty chunters)

We've been through it hundreds of times.

Oh.

What's the matter, Beauty?

This isn't like you at all.

Look, it's quite easy.

Look.

(dramatic music)

Come on, Beauty, come to me.

(Beauty whinnies)

What's gone wrong?

I just don't seem to be able to handle him anymore,

is it my fault?

Is it something I'm doing?

- No, I don't think so,

I think it's something more than that.

Come on.

- [Vicky] What are we going to do?

- You can get Willie Davidson to re-nail his shoe

for one thing, it's loose.

- Yes, I know, I was going to do that this afternoon.

- And while you're about it, you can ask his advice,

he knows more about horses than any man I've ever met.

- [Vicky] Every now and again he just goes strange

and I can't do anything with him.

- You no enemies, I suppose?

- Me?

- Well, you or Dr. James?

- Well, I'm sure Father hasn't, I don't think I have.

- Well, I don't see why you should, Miss Vicky,

but I think perhaps you have

and someone who knows about horses, the secret things.

Perhaps I might have a look at that stable of yours,

I might be able to help.

- Oh, Beauty, what's the matter with you?

Why are you being so silly?

- Oh, he's not being silly, Miss Vicky.

- Oh, I think he is.

- Maybe that's what someone wants you to believe.

But he's just got a better nose on him,

haven't you, boy?

- What's his nose got to do with it?

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

- Now you try him again.

- In you go, Beauty, in you go.

- How did you do it?

- I can tell you nothing.

- Why not?

- Well, let's just say I took an oath once

to keep certain secrets.

- Well, anyhow, it doesn't matter now, does it?

Everything's all right, Beauty,

we'll have no more trouble now.

- Don't you be so sure,

someones been playin' a foolish trick on you,

it may not be so easy to stop him.

(dramatic music)

(Beauty chunters)

- Beauty!

Go on, go on.

Oh!

Gently, boy, gently.

Now go on, go on.

Beauty, what is the matter with you again?

(gentle upbeat music)

- Morning, ma'am, is the doctor in?

- You don't look like a patient.

- Oh no, it's a private matter,

it's a letter for Mr. Oldfield.

- [Amy] Oh.

- Invitation to dinner, I think.

- Oh, well I'll see he gets it.

- All right, thank you very much, ma'am.

Well, I must say it's a very nice place you've got here.

- Was there anything else?

- Oh, there is just one thing, ma'am,

it's a warm day, my horse could do with a drink.

- Oh, in the stable yard, help yourself.

- Stable yard?

- That way.

- Thank you very much, ma'am.

- Hello.

- Morning, miss.

Miss Winthrop said I could get some water,

give my horse a drink.

- Of course, there's a bucket in the stable

and the pumps over there.

- Ah.

- You're Mr. Oldfields groom, aren't you?

- Yes, that's right, Miss.

He looks a treat, doesn't he?

You have everything there you could want in a horse,

no wonder Mr. Oldfield wanted to buy him,

but I told him "You won't get him," I said

"Not without a lot of persuasion."

I mean money doesn't buy everything you know, Miss.

- I expect it's very nice to have all the same.

- Yeah, I expect so.

(Beauty whinnies)

- Go on.

Beauty!

(Beauty whinnies)

Go on!

Oh!

(dramatic music)

Please behave yourself.

(dramatic music intensifies)

- Oh!

Willie, what happened to him?

- Good boy, that's a good lad.

- Take his head, Miss Vicky, huh?

I thought so.

- [Vicky] What is it?

- Well this skirts no good to anybody,

I shall have to destroy this.

See?

It's been soaked with something that burns or irritates,

Beauty wouldn't feel it till he got warmed up

but it would've driven him mad in time.

- Who would do a thing like that?

- Well, whoever it was,

he knows those secrets I was telling you about.

- Well, what are they?

- Well, the secrets are members of the Horseman Society

swear never to tell anyone.

- I've never heard of it.

- Oh, you wouldn't but it's very old,

hundreds of years, maybe.

Only men who work with horses can join

and they, they have ways of controlling horses

with herbs and other things

but they, they swear only to use him for the good of horses,

not like this.

- Could McPhee be a member?

- Well, if he was ever a plough man

or a wagoner at any time, yes.

Well you wa" Beauty home now, Miss Vicky, very quietly

and I give some thought as how we can catch this fellow out.

- All right.

Thank you, Willie.

Come on, boy.

(solemn music)

- Oh, I really can't see why McPhee

should play a trick like this.

- Perhaps he might be hoping we'd get tired of Beauty

or something.

- Well, so that he could buy him cheap?

But he's got a perfectly good cob of his own.

- Well, he could sell him again easily enough.

- Look, has anybody else been near the stable recently?

- Oh, only Mr. Oldfield's groom.

- Oh, when?

- This morning.

- Were you with him the whole time?

- Yes, he only went into the stable to get a bucket.

- Yes, could be that Mr. Oldfield takes after his daughter,

they both like to get their own way.

(gentle upbeat music)

Whoa boy, whoa, whoa, whoa.

(gentle upbeat music continues)

- A pleasant surprise, Doctor.

- Mr. Oldfield, you were very anxious to buy Black Beauty.

- (chuckles) Changed your mind, have you?

- No, not in the least.

But I wonder just how far you'd go to persuade me to do so.

- Well, if you're thinking of another 50 pounds,

well, I'd be quite agreeable.

- We've had a lot of trouble with Black Beauty since then,

my daughter and I, he's been almost unmanageable.

And today, if help hadn't come just in time,

my daughter might have been killed.

- Why, you astonish me.

- Do I?

- Are you suggesting I tried to get to your horse?

- Well, somebody did.

- I don't do business that way,

if I can't buy a thing honestly, I do without it.

- I'd like to believe you, I find it difficult.

- Look, the people of this county

haven't been very kind to my daughter

and she's convinced that if she had Black Beauty,

things would be a whole lot better,

but I'm an honest man, Doctor,

and I believe my daughter is honest,

shall we leave it at that?

- Very well, Perhaps I was a little hasty, I apologise.

- Not another word.

In your place, I might well have thought the same thing.

(dramatic music)

- Hmm.

I know a way of testing to see whether it's him or not.

- What is it?

- You'll see, I hope.

'Bout this time of day,

I think I know where he can be found.

Come along and watch, should I?

(gentle upbeat music)

Morning, Mr. Fox.

- Morning, Mr. Davidson.

(inquisitive music)

- Morning, Miss Susie.

- Morning, Willie.

I thought I heard a loose shoe as you drove in, excuse me.

Come on, come on.

(dramatic music)

It needs re-nailing,

perhaps Mr. Fox will bring him along.

- I'll see that he does.

- Good day, Miss.

(dramatic music)

You watch them.

(dramatic music continues)

(horse chunters)

- Giddy up.

Giddy up.

Come on!

- You did that?

- You don't need door poles, Miss Vicky,

you can put it on four legs as well.

- Willie, put what on?

- That's a secret potion with a smell that frightens horses,

when the smell comes from in front of him,

he won't go forward, watch now.

- What's the matter with him, Fox?

- I don't know, Miss, but I'll soon find out.

(gentle music)

- Gin, the horse'll go now, it'll smell nothing but gin.

- I see you know the secrets of the Horseman, Mr. Fox.

(dramatic music)

- Hello, Susie, having trouble with your horse?

- Fox, you idiot!

You've been tricked.

(dramatic music)

(gentle upbeat music)

- I owe you an apology.

- Yes, Vicky told me.

Fox.

- Yes, I'm dismissing him from my service.

- Oh, is that quite fair?

I mean, he would hardly have thought of it on his own,

would he?

- You're quite right, I'll give him a, a second chance

but Susie will have to be punished.

- I know, Father, I have an apology to make too.

(gentle music)

Mr. McPhee!

Whoa.

I came to say I'm sorry for thinking

you might have hurt Black Beauty.

- So you found out who it really was

that was playing tricks with him?

- Yes.

I was wondering though,

are you a member of the Horseman Society?

- Yes, I am.

Always remember this,

the Horseman Society's for the good of horses

and the people that work with them, not for making trouble.

- I will.

Goodbye, Mr. McPhee.

- Go on, boy.

(gentle music)

(upbeat music)

(upbeat music continues)