182 CAVALRY OFFICERS' RIDING SCHOOL 



course I was only too happy to give them. But the re- 

 mainder treated me in a manner that would have given me a 

 very poor opinion of the manners of Russian officers, had my 

 intercourse with them been confined to the members of this 

 riding school. It is a strange fact that wherever I have gone 

 in Europe, Asia or Africa on my own "hook" to teach 

 breaking, I have been well received, have made friends, and 

 my work has been appreciated ; but the first and only time I 

 went under Imperial patronage, I got treated as an interloper. 

 Fillis was just as much hated at the Officers' School as I was ; 

 but as he had the Grand Duke's personal support, the school 

 authorities had to be civil to him. All I wanted was that 

 those whom I was paid to teach, would take an interest in 

 the work, and would thus further the object for which the 

 Grand Duke had eno-a^ed me. When the six months were 



o o 



over, I pocketed my pay, packed up my traps and departed 

 for London without saying good - bye even to General 

 Palitzyne. I was sorry to be obliged to make that omission ; 

 but I was afraid the annoyance the school people had caused 

 me, mishit o-et the better of the gratitude I felt towards him 



o o o 



for having been always courteous to me. I hate brooding 

 over grievances and still more dislike inflicting them on my 

 friends. 



While I was at the cadres, I heard that the members of 

 the Officers' School kept a pack of hounds and hunted 

 regularly, so I wrote home for my hunting things and got 

 them out. On making inquiries at the school about this 

 Russian Quorn, I was told by the officers with evident pride 

 that it was a grand affair ; that the best of aniseed was 

 employed ; and that no one was allowed to go in front of the 

 Colonel, who always took the lead. I did not open that box 

 of hunting things. 



During the four months I was in St. Petersburg, my wife, 

 who had come out to join me, and I, saw a good deal of Fillis 



