IN THE BIDIXG-SCHOOL. 113 



ing your destiny in the reception room, enter 

 Versatilia, the beauty, and the society young- 

 lady, and Nell, and you stare at them in wrath- 

 ful astonishment fully equalled by theirs, and 

 then, in the following grand outburst of confes- 

 sion, you are informed that, each one having 

 planned to outgeneral the others and to become 

 a wondrous equestrian, the Fates and the wise 

 fairy who, sitting in a little room overlooking 

 the ring, presides over the destinies of classes, 

 have willed that you should be taught together. 

 "And there are three other young ladies who 

 have never ridden at all," the wise fairy says, 

 " and they are to ride behind you, and you must 

 do very well in order to encourage them," she 

 adds with a kind smile ; and then there is a gen- 

 eral muster of grooms and horses, and in a 

 moment you are all in your saddles and walk- 

 ing about the ring, into which, an instant after, 

 another lady rides easily and gracefully, to be 

 saluted by both masters with a sigh of relief, 

 and requested to take the lead, which she does, 

 trotting lightly across the ring, wheeling into 

 line and falling into a walk with trained precis- 

 ion, and now the lesson really begins. 



