140 IN THE RIDING- SCHOOL. 



about the shoulders and waist. Now drop your 

 head backward, and swing the body, not trying 

 to control the head, and persist until you can 

 thoroughly relax the muscles of the neck, a 

 work which you need not expect to accomplish 

 until after you have made many efforts. Now 

 execute all your movements for strengthening 

 the muscles, very slowly and lightly, using as 

 little force as possible. After you can do this 

 fairly well, begin by executing them quickly and 

 forcibly, then gradually retard them, and make 

 them more gently, until you glide at last into 

 perfect repose. This will take time, but the 

 good results will appear, not only in your riding, 

 but also in your walking and in your dancing. 

 You and Nell might practise these Delsarte 

 exercises together, for no especial dress is 

 needed for them, and companionship will remove 

 the danger of that dulness which, it must be ad- 

 mitted, sometimes besets the amateur, unsus- 

 tained by the artist's patient energy. Before 

 you take another class lesson, you may have an 

 exercise ride, in which to practise what you 

 have learned. " Tried to learn ! " do you say ? 

 Well, really, Esmeralda, one begins to have 

 hopes of you ! 



