CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
LEARNING TO RIDE.
The riding-lessons duly began the next day, and, continuing each morningof the week, proved a veritable godsend to the four young people, inproviding amusement for hours which might otherwise have hung somewhatheavily on their hands. The season was yet too young for outdoor games,and in the early stages of their mutual acquaintanceship it wasdifficult to keep up a perpetual flow of conversation. Some occupationof general interest was thus badly needed, and this was supplied by thedelightful canters over the moors--delightful, despite the drawbackswhich were inseparable from inexperience.
On the first morning the girls were kept sternly in hand by the carefulgroom, each taken in turn for an amble along a quiet road under his ownsupervision; while the other strolled about, feeling very fine and largeas she held up the skirt of her habit, and nonchalantly flicked her whipto and fro.
From the safe vantage of the ground also it was amusing to watch JackMelland's plungings to and fro, and offer him good advice as to themanagement of his steed. Jack, needless to say, disdained the groom'sgood offices, and set forth confident of being able to master any horseby the sheer force of his manhood. His seat was not elegant, certainly,and for once he was at a distinct disadvantage beside Victor, who lookedhis best on horseback, and was evidently an experienced rider.
On the third day the horses were led to the broad road, crossing thewell-treed park, and, after half an hour's patient trotting to and fro,Ruth was started on her first independent canter, which was fated tohave an ignominious end; for the horse, impatient of restraint,increased its pace to a gallop, which swiftly left the groom behind andsent its rider's composure to the winds. Her foot slipped from thestirrup, she dropped her whip, clung wildly to the pommel, and,regardless of dignity, screamed for help at the pitch of her voice. Itseemed an eternity of time, but in reality it was only a couple ofminutes, before Victor overtook her, and leaning forward, seized thereins and brought both horses to a halt.
The groom came running up behind, followed by Jack, jogging painfully upand down on his saddle, while Mollie puffed and panted in the rear.Their faces were all keen with alarm, but fear changed to amusement atthe sight of Ruth with hat cocked rakishly at one side and a thick coilof hair hanging snake-like down her back. She looked piteously forcomfort, and, meeting only smiles, drew herself up with what wasintended to be an air of haughty disdain; but it is difficult to lookhaughty when with every moment fresh hairpins are falling to the ground,and with the descent of fresh coils your hat is continually assuming astill more impudent angle.
"You _do_ look a sight!" cried Mollie with sisterly candour, and Ruthbeckoned imperiously to the groom to help her to dismount.
"Take me down! I've had enough of this for one morning. You must giveme another horse to-morrow, Bates. I'll never trust myself on thishateful creature again. No, thank you, I prefer to walk on my ownfeet." She jumped to the ground and stood twisting up her hair, hercheeks aflame with mingled fright and annoyance--a sight, indeed, asMollie had remarked, though the young men's translation of the term wasnot perhaps precisely the same as her own.
"I'll put in a thousand hairpins next time," she said angrily, as shefastened the coils to the best of her ability, and straightened therakish hat. "You had better see that your hair is safe, Mollie, beforeyou have your turn. I am going to sit down on the grass and jeer at youfor a change. It's so easy to be superior when you are doing nothingyourself!"
"I shan't hang on to my pommel, anyway, and I won't call, `Help, murder,thieves!' whatever happens," cried Mollie lightly. "I am going roundthis curve, so you can all watch and see how well I do it!"
She flicked her horse's side as she spoke with quite a professional airof unconcern, and started off at a brisk canter, holding herselfresolutely erect, despite the ever-increasing pain in the small of herback. Echoes of "Bravo! bravo!" followed her down the path and goadedher to increased exertion. A second flip on Prince's back sent himforward at such a surprising increase of speed that, involuntarily, shegripped the pommel; then, remembering her resolve, let go her hold tohang on more and more tightly to the reins.
Prince tossed his head and gave an expostulatory amble. Mollie set herlips and pulled the stronger. She was not conscious that the right handpulled more strongly than the left, but that it did so was proved by thefact that the horse gradually abandoned the path and directed its courseacross the grass. The watchers behind gave cries of warning as they sawwhat was happening, but in her agitation Mollie mistook their meaningfor more applause and dashed headlong on her way.
She was so much occupied in keeping her seat that she had no eyes todiscover danger ahead, but the groom looked with dismay at the low-spreading trees on right and left, and raced across the grass tointercept her progress. He was too late, however. Maddened by theincessant dragging of the reins Prince galloped ahead, skirting soclosely a clump of trees that it was only by crouching low over thesaddle that Mollie escaped accident. The watchers drew deep breaths ofrelief, but renewed their anxiety as once more horse and riderdisappeared from sight behind a giant elm, whose branches hungthreateningly towards the ground.
Ruth gripped her habit in both hands and sped across the grass after thegroom; the two young men galloped ahead; and from one and all came asecond cry of alarm, as a moment later Prince sounded his appearancecareering wildly along riderless and free.
What were they going to see? A helpless form stretched on the ground; awhite unconscious face; a terrible, tell-tale wound? A dozen horriblepictures suggested themselves one after the other in those breathlessseconds; but when the fatal spot was reached there was no figure uponthe ground, senseless or the reverse; no Mollie was seen to right orleft.
It seemed as if the earth had opened and swallowed her up, until afeeble squeak made the rescuers lift their eyes suddenly to the heart ofthe tree, where a black skirt and two small kicking feet were seenswinging to and fro in the air. Another step forward showed the wholepicture, gauntleted hands clutching wildly to a bough, and a pinkagonised face turned over one shoulder, while a little pipe of a voicecalled out gaspingly--
"Catch me! hold me! take me down! oh, my arms! I'm falling, falling,I'm falling! oh, oh, oh--I'm falling down!" And fall she did, sosuddenly and violently that the groom, although a stoutly built man,tottered beneath her weight.
The ordinary heroine of fiction is so frail and ethereal in build thatwhen she faints away, under a stress of emotion, the hero gathers herlovely form in his arms and carries her for a couple of miles withdelightful ease; but Mollie Farrell was a healthy, well-grown girl; andfor one agonising moment it appeared as if the sequel to the adventurewas to be an ignominious tumble to the ground of rescuer and rescued.
The moment passed, the groom steadied himself with an involuntary"Whoa!" and Mollie turned to confront her friends, swaying painfully toand fro, with crossed hands pressing against each shoulder.
"Oh, my arms! my arms! They are torn out of their sockets! I know theyare! The pain is really hideous!"
"What happened? How did you manage to perform such an acrobatic feat?"cried Jack, now that anxiety was appeased, unable to resist a smile atthe remembrance of the pretty, comical picture, and the undignifieddescent to the ground; but Mollie snapped him up sharply, her sense ofhumour absolutely eclipsed by the pain she was suffering.
"It wasn't a feat! I saw the bough before me and I thought I should bekilled, and I put out my hands to save myself and--I don't know how ithappened; but the next moment that horrid, wicked animal slipped fromunder me, and my arms were jerked nearly out of my body, and I was leftdangling in mid-air. It's perfectly hateful of you all to stand thereand laugh! I might have been killed outright if it hadn't been forBates."
"You were only a yard or so from the ground; you could have dropped downyourself without making a fuss. I kept my seat at any rate, and Ididn't howl half so loudly!" said Ruth self-righteously. "What made youdo anything so mad as to ride
in among all those trees?"
"I didn't! It was the horse; he would go, whatever I did," protestedMollie feebly: whereupon Bates shook his head with solemn disapproval.
"We've got to be very thankful as matters is no worse," said the alarmedgroom. "I shall have a fine lecturing from the squire when he hears ofthis, but you will bear me witness as it was against my wishes. If I'dhad my way you would never have ventured off by yourselves, for anotherweek at least, but there was no gainsaying you. I'm thinking you'llhave had about enough lesson for to-day, and I must look after thosehorses. To-morrow--"
"To-morrow we'll be good and docile, and do as you tell us. My nervesare too shaken to be disobedient; but don't be afraid; you shan't bescolded for what isn't your fault," said Ruth with her pretty smile.Bates touched his cap and walked off, mollified, while the girls turnedsadly homeward. Jack and Victor offered their escort, but, finding itimpossible to disguise all traces of amusement, were promptly snubbedand bidden to go and be superior by themselves.
"I do hate men! horrid, patronising creatures!" cried Mollie pettishly,as she limped onwards. "They think themselves so grand because they arestronger than we are, and have no tiresome skirts to hamper them. Idon't like riding half as much as I expected. I'm so stiff and sore, Ishould like to go to bed for a month. I shall lie down this afternoon.I'll get a nice book, and pull the sofa up to the window, and have teabrought up to me; and I just hope it will rain and pour, and they willhave nothing to do and be bored to death, and then they will miss me,and be sorry that they were so rude. Laughing, indeed, when I was indanger of my life, before their very eyes!"
"You were safe enough before they laughed, and you did look funnyhanging in mid-air! You didn't think it was cruel to laugh at me, and Iwas just as much frightened as you were!" retorted Ruth; and thereaftera frigid silence was maintained until the Court was reached.
At lunch Mr Farrell appeared with a clouded brow, and vouchsafed onlymonosyllabic replies when addressed. It was evident that something haddispleased him, and, though no reference was made to the adventures ofthe morning, the young people had discovered by now that he possessed amysterious power of knowing all about their actions, in sight or out ofsight, and felt correspondingly ill at ease. When the meal was over andthe servants had left the room, the storm burst suddenly. The sunkeneyes gleamed with an angry light, and the tired voice sounded unusuallyloud and threatening.
"Has neither of you two young men the sense or the prudence to prevent alady from running a foolish risk? I am informed that Ruth was in dangerof having a serious accident this morning. I am not personally able tolook after her safety, and she was possibly ignorant of her own folly inattempting more than she could accomplish; but I had imagined that in myabsence she had two sufficient protectors--one of whom, at least, Iunderstand to be an accomplished horseman."
Victor flushed deeply, and the lids fell over his tell-tale eyes.
"No one regrets Miss Ruth's fright more than I do, sir. She had beensuch an apt pupil that I did not imagine that there was any danger intrying a little canter on her own account. Bates disapproved of it, butI am afraid I sided against him. I can only promise to be more carefulin future."
"It was no one's fault but my own, Uncle Bernard," interrupted Rutheagerly. "I was conceited and thought I could do anything I liked, andI have learnt a lesson--that's all! I was frightened, but I hung on sotightly to the pommel that I don't think there was any real danger offalling. I really will be careful not to run any more risks."
"I trust you will. I feel responsible for your safety while you areunder my roof, and it will be a severe strain on my nerves if I cannotrely on your discretion. Are you feeling any ill effects from yourfright? Can Mrs Wolff help you in any way, or perhaps the doctor--"
Ruth gave an involuntary exclamation of surprise and protest, and thecolour rushed into her cheeks. It was so surprising, so extraordinarythat Uncle Bernard should betray such concern for her safety andactually suggest sending for a doctor on her behalf. Her heart beathigh with the conviction that she was, indeed, his favourite, hisChosen, and that therefore her safety was all-important for the successof his scheme.
She turned her grey eyes upon him with a liquid glance of gratitude, asshe faltered out words of acknowledgment.
"Oh no, indeed, it is quite unnecessary! Thank you so much all thesame. I am vexed with myself for having upset you by being soheadstrong, and didn't hurt myself a bit."
"That is well, then!" Mr Farrell rose from the table and turned slowlytowards the door. As he did so he found himself suddenly confronted byanother face--a bright-eyed, mutinous girl's face, so transparentlycharged with speech that he stopped short, uttering an involuntaryinquiry--
"Well! what is it? What have _you_ got to say?"
Mollie's lips parted, her head tilted to the side.
"_I_ was in danger, too! much more than she was. I _did_ tumble off! Ihung on to the branch of a tree. I might have been injured mostdreadfully."
"Ah-ah!" said Mr Farrell slowly. He turned his head aside, and hislips twitched uncertainly. "You! But you, my dear Mary, can take suchuncommonly good care of yourself!"