156 LADIES ON HORSEBACK. 



to impart an appearance of rapid motion, or 

 flying through the air. He was quite right, 

 and I was decidedly wrong. I felt ashamed 

 of myself, begged his pardon mentally, and 

 atoned for my audacity by henceforward 

 believing blindly in his judgment. 



I recollect laughing much at the time at a 

 grave suggestion made to me by a dear old 

 lady, who thought there might be a particular 

 reason why Mr. Sturgess was (in her opinion) 

 less successful in depicting lady equestrians 

 than when pursuing any other branch of his 

 enchanting art. Neither she nor I had or 

 have, unfortunately, the pleasure of his per- 

 sonal acquaintance, but we thought there 

 might possibly be somebody in authority who 

 strongly objected to his studying the details 

 of the fair creatures whom he has occasionally 

 to draw. To show that such things may be, 

 and actually are, in real life, I recollect that 

 when I was staying some two or three years 

 ago at a famous house in the north of Eng- 

 land, a gay harvest-home took place, and the 

 servants and labourers had a dance in the 

 barn. I and my husband, our host and 



