or one moment,' I entreated tremulously. 'I assure you
that I am not in the habit of appearing in Rotten Row on a spotted
wooden horse, nor does any one, I assure you--_any_ one mount a horse of
any description with his face towards the crupper! If you take me like
that, you will betray your ignorance--you will be laughed at!'

When people tell you it is possible to hoodwink the insane by any
specious show of argument, don't believe them; my own experience is that
demented persons can be quite perversely logical when it suits their
purpose.

'Pardon me,' he said, '_you_ will be laughed at possibly--not I. I
cannot be held responsible for the caprices of my clients. Mount,
please; she'll carry you perfectly.'

'I will,' I said, 'if you'll give me the revolver to hold. I--I should
like to be done with a revolver.'

'I shall be delighted to do you with a revolver,' he said grimly, 'but
not yet; and if I lent you the weapon now, I could not answer for your
being able to hold the horse as well--she has never been broken in to
firearms. _I'll_ hold the revolver. One--two--three.'

I mounted; why had I not disregarded the expense and gone to Lenz and
Kamerer? Lenz does not pose his customers by the aid of a revolver.
Kamerer, I was sure, would not put his patrons through these degrading
tomfooleries.

He took more trouble over this than any of the others; I was
photographed from the back, in front, and in profile; and if I escaped
being made to appear abjectly ridiculous, it can only be owing to the
tragic earnestness which the consciousness of my awful situation lent to
my expression.

As he took the last I rolled off the horse, completely prostrated. 'I
think,' I gasped faintly, 'I would rather be shot at once--_without_
waiting to be taken in any other positions. I really am not equal to any
more of this!' (He was quite capable, I felt, of photographing me in a
perambulator, if it once occurred to him!)

'Compose yourself,' he said soothingly, 'I have obtained all I wanted. I
shall not detain you much longer. Your life, I may remark, was never in
any imminent danger, as this revolver is unloaded. I have now only to
thank you for the readiness with which you have afforded me your
co-operation, and to assure you that early copies of each of the
photographs shall be forwarded for Miss Waverley's inspection.'

'Miss Waverley!' I exclaimed; 'stay, how do _you_ know that name?'

'If I mistake not, it was her photograp