66 UNASKED ADVICE. 



horse provided for him ! What more could he wish for ? 

 Not much more, perhaps, yet possibly a little less of 

 kindness. For though the animal be described, and 

 justly so, as an excellent hunter — nay, even though the 

 daughter of the house may have ridden him in the 

 capital run which heralded the appearance of the late frost 

 — that performance is a fortnight old. Tempora mutantur, 

 et nos mutamur 171 illis. " Confidence '' is a very different 

 animal now to what he was two short weeks ago. 



Who could honestly lay his hand on his heart and 

 affirm himself ambitious to change places with Brown ? 

 Fancy him as he stands on the door step, attired in 

 shooting things (not expecting this pleasure, of course he 

 had brought no boots and et-ceteras), and listening to the 

 playful squeak with which his '^noidiire announces him- 

 self; observing also the somewhat ungraceful curl with 

 with which he carries his tail over his back, frisking 

 around his groom the while ! We needn^t follow him. 

 We all — that is all who have arrived at years of discretion 

 have experienced the sort of thing, and know that there 

 is no conceivable folly, from kicking a hound to leaping 

 into a quarry to avoid a falling acorn, that a " fresh ^' 

 horse will not commit, nay, make a point of committing. 

 Still what is danger to Brown is sport to the rest of the 

 company, and these evil habits may make a horse equally 

 a handful to his rider, without affording so pleasing a 

 spectacle to the looker-on. A fidgety horse is a great 

 bore : he won^t stand still. He sidles under a tree, as if 

 desirous of clearing up once and for ever the doubt 

 whether it is possible, in these days of close-cropped 

 hair, but flowing whiskers, &c., to suffer the fate of 

 Absalom. He turns his tail studiously to each and 

 every one with whom his rider is desirous of holding 



