Chapter XIII. We Teach her how to Ride.

After the tea was cleared away we retired to the drawing-room, a charming little apartment which the widow had, with a woman's tact, contrived to fix up out of what had been her brother's bachelor lumber-room. Fanny at once caught sight of a piano, and immediately exclaimed:

‘Oh, what a love of a piano! You brought it out with you, Mrs Fortescue, I presume. May I try it?’

‘Certainly, my dear.’

Fanny commenced playing a lively galop, and Mr Bowden seized Alice and whirled her round the room, while my uncle asked Mrs Fortescue if he might have the pleasure, and receiving a favourable answer, flew round with her in so graceful a manner that I could not help smiling at the contrast between his appearance at the present moment and that of the individual I had encountered at the stockyard gate on my first arrival.

The fun grew fast and furious. I was, indeed, the only sedate individual in the room, as my education in this particular had been neglected. I could not dance.

‘Not dance?’ exclaimed the ladies in a bieath, when I acknowledged my incapability. ‘We'll soon teach you. You must have page 53 some lessons before we go to the Sylvesters, or they will think you a Goth,’ said Fanny.

After a very pleasant evening we rode home in the moonlight. Alice accompanied her father and left Fanny to me. I enjoyed that ride. What can compare to a ride home after a party with the girl who you love best of all the world, for it had come to this with me;—not a breath of wind stirring; the glorious moonlight pouring down, and with its softened colouring giving an almost unearthly beauty to everything it touches, especially to the form on which you love to gaze; the only sound to be heard besides your subdued voices being the melodious notes of the morepork in the distant bush, or the gurgling of a splashing stream. These bright moonlight nights in New Zealand require only to be seen to be enjoyed, and it is needless to state that much more enjoyment may be obtained from their contemplation by two congenial spirits of divers sexes, than by one alone.

Fanny was in high spirits at the idea of the coming dance, to say nothing about the prospect of meeting Grosvenor again. Still, I reaped the benefit of her animation for that evening. She chatted away merrily to me about my forthcoming dancing lessons and other subjects, till I was bold enough to ask her for the first dance, always supposing I had by that time sufficiently profited by her instructions to be capable of performing it. She replied that the first was really promised to Mr Bowden, who would not let her off, but that I should certainly have the second. I was rendered happy by securing this promise, for should I not be forcing Grosvenor to take a back seat. He was certain to ask in vain for what I had already obtained. We reached home all too soon to please me, and having turned out our horses, turned into bed ourselves.

The next morning uncle ordered Charlie and I to ride out and repair a certain piece of fencing at the far side of the run. This would in all probability occupy us the best part of the day. I endeavoured to persuade him that there was no immediate necessity for this particular job for a few days, as I much wished to be present at Mrs Fortescue's first appearance in the saddle, the more especially as I had promised to instruct her, and did not wish to break my word to a lady. But uncle was obdurate, and said she would get on just as well without my instructions, and that work must be attended to. I must confess that I was in the worst of tempers as we cantered off with our luncheons in our pockets. Charlie rattled away in his usual boyish manner till, noticing how completely out of humour I was by my monosyllabic replies to his nonsense, he remarked it was too bad of his governor to send me away when I wanted a day with the girls.

‘It's never any good trying to make dad change his orders when he's once given them, though. He was always awfully obstinate that way, but he's worse now.’

‘Why, I wonder?’

‘Can't you see?’ he replied, with a discernment I did not give him credit for. ‘Dad is sweet on the widow, and he's jealous of you, so sends you out of the way.’

‘Jealous of me! nonsense.’

‘I don't know so much about that, and what's more, I'll bet you a new hat he goes down there this very afternoon, though he said he had a lot of writing to do at home. I'll tell you what we'll do for a lark. We'll work like niggers and get the job done early, then canter page 54 down there on some pretence of wanting to see him. You know it riles me to see what a duffer dad makes of himself over that widow. He never used to be down at Bowden's place half so often before she came.’

Charlie's dislike to the idea of a stepmother had made him very cute and watchful of his father's actions. I was delighted at the prospect of still obtaining the afternoon's enjoyment. The desire to be riding by Fanny's side, I need hardly say, far exceeded any wish to assist Mrs Fortescue in her first attempts at equestrian exercise.

We quickly arrived at our destination, and went to work with a will. Fortunately, the fence did not require so much repair as uncle bad expected, and we had it completed shortly after two o'clock. We then thought it advisable to demolish our luncheons. We had been too busy before, and, as Charlie said, it would save the trouble of carrying them any further. Untying and mounting our nags, we were soon at the homestead, when the old housekeeper informed us that uncle had gone for a ride with the young ladies.

‘Well, we must find him, Frank. Which way did they go, Jane?’

‘Down to'ards Mr Bowden's place, sir.’

‘I told you so,’ said Charlie, ‘we'll go after them then,’ so off we went at a gallop.

On approaching Mr Bowden's residence we noticed through the belt of trees my fair cousins on their steeds, and uncle holding a well-bred mare for Mrs Fortescue, and at the same time instructing her in the correct method of mounting. She was evidently taking her lessons very gratefully, for as we rode up on the soft soundless turf we could hear their conversation.

‘Thank you very much, Mr Melton. How nice of you to come all this way to give me riding lessons because Mr Frank could not possibly come. I cannot thank you enough.’

‘Oh, don't mention it. I'd ride a deal farther for that pretty speech. I hope I'll have the luck to get many such.’

‘Well, Mr Melton, if you value my pretty speeches, as you call them, so highly, I'll see what I can do in a small way to repay you for your trouble.’

‘Pretty good for dad. He's getting on,’ whispered Charlie to me.

‘Oh, I do value them more than I can say! And the speaker of them—Well, I can't tell you just now what I think of her. Tell you though some day shortly, I hope.’

‘Yes, I hope it will be soon, Mr Melton, for I should like to know what you think of me.’

‘It shall be as you wish, my dear. You'll allow me to call you so, won't you? I won't keep you long in suspense. Let's see they are not within hearing.’

‘But you are keeping me in suspense, sir, between my horse and the ground,’ answered she, for she had obeyed his instructions and stepped lightly into his hand, and in his confusion he had forgotten to give the necessary lift to place her in her saddle.

‘Well, dear,’ said he, not understanding her fully, ‘you see I am trying to explain myself. If you'll allow me I'll do it another time.’

‘I'll allow anything if you will only throw me up. I'm sure Mr Frank wouldn't have made such a mess of it.’

With this he placed her deftly in her saddle, muttering as he did so: ‘Confound it! we old shavers ought to be able to mount a lady or page 55 make love to her better than the boys. But I'm afraid you're right, Mrs Fortescue.’

‘I should think she is, dad,’ shouted Charlie through the trees. ‘I could have popped her up or popped the question in half the time.

‘Where did you come from, you young reprobate? Didn't send you to mend that fence with Frank?’ returned the old gentleman. livid with passion at being overheard.

‘Yes, dad, but we have finished it. We went home to look for you, to ask what to do next. We were told you were down here, so we came on down. You know you said we weren't to commence the other job without asking you about it.’

‘Frank is there, too, then, is he? How long have you been sneaking behind the shrubberies?’

‘Only a quarter of an hour, dad,’ exclaimed the mendacious youth, aware that he was in for a hiding, and determined, if possible, to deserve it. ‘We couldn't make you hear; besides, we thought it rude to interrupt you when talking to a lady.’

‘It's a deal ruder to stop and listen to what you ain't meant to hear, and that I'll teach you, my boy.’

‘I wouldn't have listened if you'd been talking business, dad, but I didn't think you could have any secrets to talk to Mrs Fortescue about.’

‘Don't answer me, you young dev—dog, I mean. Clear out and look round the cattle in the Ninety Acre paddock. Frank, be off with him. I thought you knew better, if the boy didn't. I'll talk to you by and by.’

‘We din't sneak behind the trees any quarter of an hour, uncle. Charlie is only in fun. We had only just that moment ridden up. As the wind was in our direction I'll confess we heard part of your conversation, but not much.’

I could not forbear a broad smile as I admitted this.

The old gentleman was furious, the more so that in a lady's presence he could not give his anger full scope. Had she not been present, he would have done his best to make it hot for us both. As it was she acted as our mediator, not only saving us from the present effects of his wrath, but induced him, much against his will, to allow us to remain and accompany the riding party’

‘Oh, Mr Frank, is that you? Come after all, are you, though rather late? No, Mr Melton, I will not have you send them away again. Just show me how to hold my reins, will you?’

Although it was not quite clear to my mind to whom she addressed this last request, uncle rushed up, and was soon busily engaged placing the respective reins between her taper fingers in the right positions, and minutely explaining the difference between the curb and the snaffle. It evidently required some little time to impress these facts on her mind, and it had the effect of restoring the old gentleman's equanimity. The touch even of a gloved feminine hand and the glance of a merrily twinkling eye have truly a marvellous effect. They will cause in a moment transformations, which without them would be simply impossible. The girls had been in another part of the grounds with Mr Bowden, examining some of his latest improvements. They now returned, and chaffed Mrs Fortescue on the time she had taken in getting settled in her saddle.

‘Oh, I have been ready some time, and am anxious to be off,’ she replied; then added, ‘Does this mare jump, Fred?’

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‘Yes, she'll jump anything you dare put her at.’

‘Pretty fair that for a beginner, Mr Melton, eh! especially after only one lesson; but then you are such an excellent instructor. You need hardly have been jealous of Mr Frank teaching me instead of yourself, as I could see you were.’

‘Why, we all thought you couldn't ride, Mrs Fortescue, exclaimed Fanny.

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‘I never said I couldn't, but as you all volunteered to teach poor me, I thought I would let you, and then show you what I could do. Fred was sold as well, for he did not know I was a horsewoman. My late husband taught me since my brother left the old country.’

We had a good laugh at the mistake into which we had all fallen. Uncle's dignity, however, appeared hurt in that the lady had played such a trick on him after so short an acquaintance, for he sharply reprimanded his daughters for some playful sallies at his expense.