minutes, before Victor overtook her, and leaning forward, seized the
reins and brought both horses to a halt.

The groom came running up behind, followed by Jack, jogging painfully up
and down on his saddle, while Mollie puffed and panted in the rear.
Their faces were all keen with alarm, but fear changed to amusement at
the sight of Ruth with hat cocked rakishly at one side and a thick coil
of hair hanging snake-like down her back. She looked piteously for
comfort, and, meeting only smiles, drew herself up with what was
intended to be an air of haughty disdain; but it is difficult to look
haughty when with every moment fresh hairpins are falling to the ground,
and with the descent of fresh coils your hat is continually assuming a
still more impudent angle.

"You _do_ look a sight!" cried Mollie with sisterly candour, and Ruth
beckoned imperiously to the groom to help her to dismount.

"Take me down! I've had enough of this for one morning. You must give
me another horse to-morrow, Bates. I'll never trust myself on this
hateful creature again. No, thank you, I prefer to walk on my own
feet." She jumped to the ground and stood twisting up her hair, her
cheeks aflame with mingled fright and annoyance--a sight, indeed, as
Mollie had remarked, though the young men's translation of the term was
not perhaps precisely the same as her own.

"I'll put in a thousand hairpins next time," she said angrily, as she
fastened the coils to the best of her ability, and straightened the
rakish hat. "You had better see that your hair is safe, Mollie, before
you have your turn. I am going to sit down on the grass and jeer at you
for a change. It's so easy to be superior when you are doing nothing
yourself!"

"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 round
this 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 air
of unconcern, and started off at a brisk canter, holding herself
resolutely erect, despite the ever-increasing pain in the small of her
back. Echoes of "Bravo! bravo!" followed her down the path and goaded
her to increased exertion. A second flip on Prince's back sent him
forward at such a surprising increase of speed that, involuntarily, she
gripped the pommel; then, remembering her resolve, let go her hold to
hang on more and more tightly to the