lo A Question of Bits 



energetic addresses to the animal — vocal and instru- 

 mental — had done no good, and in the end, the whole 

 hunt having disappeared, he was constrained to turn 

 round and trot off homewards, the mare bending her 

 head up and down in a regular rhjihm, which soon 

 provoked an angry tug at the reins. 



CHAPTER II 



The next night a number of us dined with the Master of 

 the Glebeshire, Lord Fallowmere. Lawford had by no 

 means recovered that little good temj^er which occasion- 

 ally he possessed. His morning occupation had not 

 improved his humour. It was not a hunting day, but 

 he had caused the mare to be saddled, and had set him- 

 self to find out what was the matter with her. She was 

 obviously sound enough in herself. Often when horses 

 refuse to jump there is something wrong — a strain, a 

 sprain, some hurt which perhaps leaves littJe or no out- 

 ward indication, but is enough to make them shrink from 

 the exertion of a leap. She galloped so strong and 

 well that this could not be the cause of her persistent 

 refusals. She did not go kindly, perhaps, but clearly 

 there was nothing physically wrong. Nevertheless, 

 irritating and perplexing as the morning's work had 

 been, before we went into dinner Lawford had found 

 something to amuse him. Somebody had said that 

 Chippenham, keen and fearless, would just have liked 

 ' taking it out of ' the chesnut mare we had seen mis- 

 behaving at the meet, only that an old servant of the 

 family who had nursed him when he was a child was 



