A DAY WITH TOM CANNON. 269 



Nearing the fence, she pricked her ears, 

 and seemed, as it were, to measure the distance 

 with her eye ; then, gathering herself together, 

 she rose at the leap, cleared it in perfect style, 

 and was away again on the other side after her 

 chestnut leader without a perceptible pause. 



" Capital ! I hardly thought she'd have 

 done it so neatly. There she goes again, too," 

 Cannon says, as the pair approach and fly over 

 the second obstacle. '' Yes, that's first-rate. I 

 like the way she looked at it and took in what 

 she had to do. Yes, I'm in a better temper now 

 after that!" at which Olding, who has just 

 ridden up, smiles ; for although he knows that 

 his kindly master's wrath is only a passing 

 cloud, with no sort of mischief in it, there is a 

 pleasure in finding that things are smooth. 



It is getting chilly on the downs, and there 

 is a touch of frost in the air as we turn our 

 horses' heads towards home ; and there can be 

 no sort of doubt that the keen air gives one an 

 appetite, which agreeably destroys recollections 

 of the fact that we lunched a comparatively 

 short time ago. A trot home circulates the 

 blood, and, though we are by no means starved 

 with hunger, as Mrs. Cannon in her thoughtful 

 hospitality fears must be the case, the good 

 things my hostess has provided receive ample 



