LUCY GLITTERS, 63 



mences lier last exhibition the old horse falters in his stride, 

 crosses his legs, and falls with a crash, while Lucy Glitters 

 gains an ill-deserved victory by two lengths. In due time 

 Lucy Glitters came to take up her abode in my stables. I 

 knew her to be a capital jumper, she never having made the 

 slightest mistake at the Market Clixby Meeting. She had 

 also shown a fair amount of speed, and had come in without 

 turning a hair. As far as I could see there was only her 

 horrid temper to deal with, and even if she would not race, 

 there was just the chance that she would make a useful 

 hunter. Brissels, my head groom was no more impressed with 

 her beauty than I was, sniffed ominously, and gave his 

 directions to his underlings at a respectable distance from the 

 half-lifted hind foot. 



" On my return from hunting next day, I found she had 

 kicked one of the grooms over her head at exercise. ' I only 

 shoved my 'eels into 'er to make 'er trot,' observed the lad. 

 Moreover, she had seized hold of Brissels' coat-sleeve — only 

 the coat-sleeve — but it sufficiently alarmed that worthy, who 

 never ceased to revile her as 'a narsty, hugly, useless warmint.' 

 In a few days I decided to try her mettle with hounds ; not 

 Avithout certain inward qualms, I can assure you. She was 

 fairly gTacious in allowing me to mount, and only lashed out 

 once ; but once in the saddle I found her a sweet enough hack, 

 though she watched my every movement, and back went her 

 ears every time I asked her to increase her pace or lifted my 

 hunting whip. At the meet, too, she was quiet enough till 

 old Colonel Bludgeon passed behind, and then she lashed out 

 viciously and hit his stirrup-iron with a sounding ring. 



" * Confound you and your dangerous brutes ! ' roared the 

 Colonel, greatly alarmed ; ' why the dickens don't you put a 

 red ribbon in their tails, if you must bring them out to en- 

 danger our lives and limbs ? ' 



" How dare I approach my divinity on such a brute ! 



