ing anything but the easy confidence
that Mr. Pacey exhibited. Putting his whip under his arm, Pacey just walked
up to the horse, and, placing the point of his foot in the stirrup, hoisted
himself on by the mane, without deigning to take hold of the reins. Having
soused himself into the saddle, he then began feeling the stirrups.

'How are they for length, sir?' asked Leather, with a hitch of his hand to
his forehead.

'They'll do,' replied Pacey, in a tone of indifference, gathering up the
reins, and applying his left heel to the horse's side, while he gave him a
touch of the whip on the other. The horse gave a wince, and a hitch up
behind; as much as to say, 'If you do that again I'll kick in right
earnest,' and then walked quietly out of the yard.

'I took the fiery edge off him yesterday, I think,' observed Jack, as he
watched the horse's leisurely movements.

'Not so sure of that,' replied Sponge, adding, as he left the
passage-window, 'He'll be trying him in the park; let's go and see him from
my window.'

Accordingly, our friends placed themselves at Sponge's bedroom window, and
presently the clash of a gate announced that Sponge was right in his
speculation. In another second the horse and rider appeared in sight--the
horse going much at his ease, but Mr. Pacey preparing himself for action.
He began working the bridle and kicking his sides, to get him into a
canter; an exertion that produced quite a contrary effect, for the animal
slackened his pace as Pacey's efforts increased. When, however, he took his
whip from under his arm, the horse darted right up into the air, and
plunging down again, with one convulsive effort shot Mr. Pacey several
yards over his head, knocking his head clean through his hat. The brute
then began to graze, as if nothing particular had happened. This easy
indifference, however, did not extend to the neighbourhood; for no sooner
was Mr. Pacey floored than there was such a rush of grooms, and helpers,
and footmen, and gardeners--to say nothing of women, from all parts of the
grounds, as must have made it very agreeable to him to know how he had been
watched. One picked him up--another his hat-crown--a third his whip--a
fourth his gloves--while Margaret, the housemaid, rushed to the rescue with
her private bottle of _sal volatile_--and John, the under-butler, began to
extricate him from the new-fashioned neckcloth he had made of his hat.

[Illustration: MR. PACEY TRIES MULTUM-IN-PARV