IN THE BIDING-SCHOOL. 163 



dangerous, you begin to mend your ways, when 

 suddenly you hear the master proclaim in a 

 voice which, to your horrified ears, seems audi- 

 ble to the whole universe: "Ah, Miss Esmer- 

 alda ! she cannot ride, she cannot do her best, 

 unless she has a gentleman beside her." In 

 fancy's eye you seem to see yourself blushing 

 for that criticism during the remainder of your 

 allotted days, and you almost hope that they will 

 be few. You know that every girl in the class 

 will repeat it to other girls, and even to men, 

 and possibly even to Theodore, and that you 

 will never be allowed to forget it. Cannot ride 

 or do your best without a gentleman, indeed ! 

 You could do very well without one gentleman 

 whom you know, you think vengefully, and 

 then you turn to the kindly Scotch teacher, 

 and, with true feminine justice, endeavor to 

 punish him for another's misdeeds by telling 

 him that, if he please, you would prefer to ride 

 alone. As he reins back, you feel a decided 

 sinking of the heart and again become con- 

 scious that you are oddly incapable of doing 

 anything properly, and then, suddenly, it flashes 

 upon you that the master was right in his judg- 



