would have no leisure to bestow on those of other
people, he had chosen the horse at least well. A very fine and
beautiful animal, he deserved all the praise given him for facility of
motion; no feet could disdain the ground more daintily; no carriage be
more absolutely springy and soft. But the mischief and spirit of both
the runaways combined would not match his case. He did not indeed
appear to be vicious, any further than a most vehement desire to please
himself and that in all manner of eccentric ways, totally irrelevant to
the purpose of getting ahead on the road or serving the will of his
rider, might be called vice. It rather seemed the spirit of power in
full play. However it were, there was no lack of either 'motion' or
'emotion' during the first half mile of the way; for Stranger's manner
of getting over so much of the ground was continually either calling
Faith's blood into her cheeks, or driving it out from them.

They were well matched, however, the horse and the rider,--and the
spirit of power in equal exercise. Neither did Mr. Linden seem averse
to the play--though Stranger presently found that what play _he_
indulged in, was clearly matter of concession; his name, as regarded
his rider, soon lost its point. On the whole, the performance came as
near the 'Centaurship' declared impossible by Dr. Harrison, as most
things have in modern times; but so far as the doctor had any stake
depending upon Stranger's antics, so far he lost. Mr. Linden had never
seemed more absolutely at leisure to attend to other people's affairs,
and had rarely, it may be said, attended to them more thoroughly, than
during that 'springy' half mile. An occasional Pas seul round the
minuet of his companions, rather heightened the effect. On another
score, too, perhaps the doctor lost; for whatever efforts he made, or
_she_ made, it was simply impossible for Faith to attend to anything
else whatever with any show of consecutiveness, but the said horse and
his rider. An attention sufficiently accounted for in the first place
by the startled changes of colour in her face; latterly the colour rose
and became steady, and a little varying play of smile on lip and eye
during the third quarter of a mile attested the fact that other
"emotions" had displaced that of fear. Clearly the doctor had lost upon
Stranger.

"How do you like him?" he said at last speaking across Faith who was
not "good" for conversation.

"Very much."

"I see you do