ETIQUETTE IN THE SADDLE. 89 



the saddle pocket, and if a veil is worn, it must be short 

 and black. The hair should be so securely put up that 

 it will not shake down, and that the hair-pins will not 

 work out. In the matter of the hat more freedom of 

 choice is allowed, and in the country almost anything 

 may be worn, but wherever there is any pretence of 

 dressing, the only correct thing is the regulation silk 

 " cylinder," which, by-the-bye, usually looks better rath- 

 er low in the crown, and which is every way a pleasant- 

 er and more serviceable hat than ladies who have never 

 worn one are apt to imagine. About the cutting of a 

 riding-habit, it may be remarked, there is nothing mys- 

 terious, although one might think so from the way it is 

 often talked about, especially in the advertisements of 

 fashionable tailors, and there is no reason in the world 

 why any clever young girl should not make one for 

 herself if she chooses. The only eccentricity about it, 

 from the dress-making point of view, is the shaping out 

 of a place for the right knee, so that the skirt may hang 

 straight and not ruck up, and this can easily be managed 

 at home by improvising a horse with a couple of chairs 

 and a rolled-up rug, putting the saddle on it, and trying 

 the effect in place. Be careful to leave plenty of room 

 across the breast. A couple of straps should be sewn 

 inside in the proper place, so that the toe or heel of 

 each foot may be inserted to prevent the skirt from 

 rising and exposing the feet; and these straps should 

 not be strong, but, on the contrary, like all other parts 



