ffl THE BIDING-SCHOOL. 117 



Keep up ! Miss Lady, you must go forward 

 regularly ! Now prepare to trot ! No, no ! 

 Walk ! When I say, ' Prepare to trot,' it is not 

 for you to begin, but to think of what you 

 must do to begin, and you must not let your 

 horses go until I give the second order, and 

 then not too fast at first. Now, prepare to 

 trot ! Trot ! Not quite so fast, Miss Lady ; 

 gently ! Keep up, keep up, Miss Beauty ! 

 Miss Esmeralda, you are sitting too far to the 

 left ; your left shoulder is too far back ! Don't 

 hold your hands so high, Miss Versatilia ! 

 Rise straight, Miss Esmeralda ! Now, remem- 

 ber, ladies, what I say is for all. Prepare to 

 whoa ! Whoa ! " 



The leader, by an almost imperceptible series 

 of movements, first sitting down in her saddle, 

 then slightly relaxing her hold of the reins, 

 and turning both hands very slightly inward, 

 brings her horse to a walk and continues on her 

 way. The others, with more or less awkward- 

 ness, come to a full stop, and your teacher 

 laughs. 



"When I say that," he explains, " I mean to 

 cease trotting, not to stop. Go forward, and 



