A YOUNG HUNTING LADY. 21 



"growler" which took her occasionally to the play. A 

 jobbed brougham marked the latter part of Russell- 

 square neighbourhood experiences, but at Bayswater 

 papa kept his own carriage horses, and Kitty — a high- 

 spirited and courageous girl, to give her what is her 

 due — studied the equestrian art upon the back of one of 

 these. 



The Englishman's natural love of horses is no doubt 

 equally implanted in the breasts of Englishwomen, and 

 soon comes into prominence when the disposition is 

 sufficiently bold to give it way. It is easy, therefore, to 

 imagine how Miss Kitty must have felt when, watching 

 from her window which commands a byway leading to 

 the high road, she saw the first symptoms of a hunting 

 day : a man in pink trotting- along, and playfully tap- 

 ping his horse's shoulder with his hunting-crop, w^hereat 

 the animal, quite entering into his rider's feelings, 

 affects to be indignant and alarmed ; item, a couple of 

 grooms with led horses, the stirrup irons pulled up to 

 the top of the leather ; item, three jolly farmers jogging 

 on together and chatting cheerily ; item, a well-mounted 

 man in black, riding to overtake a couple more pink 

 coats ; item, three more pinks, well stained and 

 weather-worn, on stout, serviceable hunters, in charge 

 of eighteen couple of hounds and a little white fox- 

 terrier. 



" Oh, papa, do come and look at these dear dogs ! " 

 cried Miss Kitty. " Can't we get some ? " 



"We'll see, my dear," her indulgent father replied, 



