IN THE HIDING-SCHOOL. 101 



within you. What will he say when he sees 

 the necessary brevity of your performance ? 



Other riders enter : two or three men 

 mounted on their own horses, beautiful creatures 

 concerning whose value fabulous tales are told 

 in the stable ; the best rider of the school, very 

 quietly and correctly dressed, and managing her 

 horse so easily that the women in the gallery 

 do not perceive that she is guiding him at all, 

 although the real judges, old soldiers, a stray 

 racing man or two, the other school pupils and 

 the master — regard her admiringly, and the 

 grooms, as they bring in new horses, keep an 

 eye on her and her movements, as they linger 

 on their way back to the stable. 



" Her horse is very good," Theodore admits, 

 " but I don't think much of her. Well, yes, 

 that is pretty," he admits, as she executes the 

 Spanish trot for a few steps and then pats her 

 horse's shoulder ; " it's pretty, but anybody 

 could do it on a trained horse, couldn't they, 

 sir?" he asks your master, who rides up, 

 mounted on his own pet horse. 



" Anybody who knew how. The horse has 

 been trained to answer certain orders, but the 



