He had more than once tried the exorcism of patience,
sitting sedate upon her back until she chose to move; but on these
occasions the tempest that followed had been of the very worst
description; so that he had concluded it better to bring on the
crisis, thereby sure at least to save time; and after he had adopted
this mode with her, attacks of the sort, if no less violent, had
certainly become fewer. The moment therefore that symptoms of an
approaching fit showed themselves, he used his spiked heels with
vigour. Upon this occasion he had a stiff tussle with her, but
as usual gained the victory, and was riding slowly along the Row,
Kelpie tossing up now her head now her heels in indignant protest
against obedience in general and enforced obedience in particular,
when a lady on horseback, who had come galloping from the opposite
direction, with her groom behind her, pulled up, and lifted her
hand with imperative grace: she had seen something of what had been
going on. Malcolm reined in. But Kelpie, after her nature, was now
as unwilling to stop as she had been before to proceed, and the
fight began again, with some difference of movement and aspect,
but the spurs once more playing a free part.
"Man! man!" cried the lady, in most musical reproof, "do you know
what you are about?"
"It would be a bad job for her and me too if I did not, my lady,"
said Malcolm, whom her appearance and manner impressed with a
conviction of rank, and as he spoke he smiled in the midst of the
struggle: he seldom got angry with Kelpie.
Pages:
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172