Part 51 (2/2)

”Will you give a kiss if I make you out a liar?”

”Sooner than break my arm. Come, you might, Tom. Now is it reasonable, him never to get a ride with her, and that useless lot prancing about with her all day long?”

”Why don't you ride with 'em, capting?”

”I have no horse.”

”I have got a horse for you, sir--master's.”

”That would be taking a liberty.”

”Liberty, sir! no; master would be so pleased if you would but ride him. He told me so.”

”Then saddle him, pray.”

”I have a-saddled him. You had better come in the stable-yard, capting; then you can mount and follow; you will catch them before they reach the Downs.” In another minute David was mounted.

”Do you ride short or long, capting?” inquired Tom, handling the stirrup-leather.

David wore a puzzled look. ”I ride as long as I can stick on;” and he trotted out of the stable-yard. As Tom had predicted, he caught the party just as they went off the turn-pike on to the gra.s.s. His heart beat with joy; he cantered in among them. His horse was fresh, squeaked, and bucked at finding himself on gra.s.s and in company, and David announced his arrival by rolling in among their horses' feet with the reins tight grasped in his fist. The ladies screamed with terror. David got up laughing; his horse had hoped to canter away without him, and now stood facing him and pulling.

”No, ye don't,” said David. ”I held on to the tiller-ropes though I did go overboard.” Then ensued a battle between David and his horse, the one wanting to mount, the other anxious to be unenc.u.mbered with sailors. It was settled by David making a vault and sitting on the animal's neck, on which the ladies screamed again, and Lucy, half whimpering, proposed to go home.

”Don't think of it,” cried David. ”I won't be beat by such a small craft as this--hallo!” for, the horse backing into Talboys, that gentleman gave him a clandestine cut, and he bolted, and, being a little hard-mouthed, would gallop in spite of the tiller-ropes. On came the other nags after him, all misbehaving more or less, so fine a thing is example. When they had galloped half a mile the ground began to rise, and David's horse relaxed his pace, whereon David whipped him industriously, and made him gallop again in spite of remonstrance.

The others drew the rein, and left him to gallop alone. Accordingly, he made the round of the hill and came back, his horse covered with lather and its tail trembling. ”There,” said he to Lucy, with an air of radiant self-satisfaction, ”he clapped on sail without orders from quarter-deck, so I made him carry it till his bows were under water.”

”You will kill my uncle's horse,” was the reply, in a chilling tone.

”Heaven forbid!”

”Look at its poor flank beating.”

David hung his head like a school-girl rebuked. ”But why did he clap on sail if he could not carry it?” inquired he, ruefully, of his monitress.

The others burst out laughing; but Lucy remained grave and silent.

David rode along crestfallen.

Mrs. Bazalgette brought her pony close to him, and whispered, ”Never mind that little cross-patch. _She_ does not care a pin about the _horse;_ you interrupted her flirtation, that is all.”

This piece of consolation soothed David like a bunch of stinging-nettles.

While Mrs. Bazalgette was consoling David with thorns, Kenealy and Talboys were quizzing his figure on horseback.

He sat bent like a bow and visibly sticking on: _item,_ he had no straps, and his trousers rucked up half-way to his knee.

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