y so if you were taking
the lessons," retorted Maisie.

"People who are accustomed to hunt at home don't care about hired
hacks," drawled Flossie, in her most supercilious manner.

"It all depends on the sort of hunting," returned Honor, who was never
at a loss. "If it's only 'hunt the slipper', I'll admit it's not much
of a training, and you might be afraid of your seat."

The riding course was a special feature of the summer term at
Chessington. It was an "extra", not part of the ordinary school
curriculum, as were the games. A master came from Dunscar, and would
escort select little parties of girls for a trot upon the Tor, a
stretch of moorland not far from the College. Mr. Townsend did not care
to take out many pupils at once, so on the following Thursday afternoon
only seven horses were waiting in the quadrangle. The Talbots, Ruth
Latimer, and Honor represented St. Chad's, while two girls from St.
Hilary's and one from St. Bride's completed the party. Lettice
confessed to a very superior and elated feeling as the reins were laid
in her hand and the cavalcade began to move, particularly as Flossie
Taylor and the Hammond-Smiths were just setting off for tennis, and
could not help witnessing the start, though they resolutely looked the
opposite way.

"Flossie always tries to be extremely grand herself, and make other
people seem small," whispered Lettice.

"Fortunately, one needn't take people at their own estimate," replied
Maisie, whose downright nature much disliked Flossie's habit of
bragging.

To all the seven girls it was a delight to find themselves passing
under the archway of the big gate, and away along the road towards the
Tor. A chestnut called Victor had fallen to Honor's share, and though
he was very tall in comparison with her old favourite Pixie, she
nevertheless sat him well.

"She looks just like the picture of Diana Vernon in our _Rob Roy_,"
remarked Lettice to Maisie, gazing with admiration at the upright,
graceful figure of her schoolmate, who seemed perfectly at home in the
saddle.

Lettice was getting on much better than her modest protestations
beforehand would have led her friends to expect. Violet Wright, the
girl from St. Bride's, was quite a beginner, and Mr. Townsend held her
horse by a leading rein; while Gwen Roby, from St. Hilary's, looked
rather solemn, as if she were not altogether sure that she was enjoying
the experience.

"I've ridden before," she explained, "but only