” Please tell him I’m not offended, and if he thinks awhile be will understand why I can’t accept such a gift.”

“I explained to him, He admires you very much, Miss Leigh, but there was an ulterior motive behind the gift. He wanted a good home for Jacinth. You know that he plans to leave England.”

” He did mention it.”

” I expect he will sell some of the horses. I shall keep a couple for myself, but there is no point in keeping an expensive stable with only myself at the house.”

” No, I suppose not.”

” He saw you on Jacinth and thinks you’d be a worthy mistress for her. That was why he wanted you to have her. He’s very fond of that mare. ”

” I see.”

” Miss Leigh, you would like to possess a horse like that?”

” Who wouldn’t?”

” Suppose I asked Connan if it could be taken into his stables and kept there for you to ride. How would that be?”

I replied emphatically: ” It is most kind of you, Miss Nansellock, and I do appreciate your desire and that of your brother to please me. But I do not wish for any special favours here. Mr. TreMellyn has a full and adequate stable for the needs of us all. I should be very much against asking for special favours for myself.”

” I see,” she said, ” that you are very determined and very proud.”

She leaned forward and touched my hand in a very friendly manner.

There was a faint mist of tears in her eyes. She was touched by my position, and understood how desperately I clung to my pride because it was my only possession.

I thought her kind and considerate, and I could understand why Alice had made a friend of her. I felt that I too could easily become her friend, for she had never made me in the least conscious of my social position in the house.

One day, I thought, I’ll tell her what I’ve discovered about Alice.

But not yet. I was, as her brother had said, as spiky as a hedgehog. I did not think for a moment that I should be rebuffed by Celestine Nansellock, but Just at this time I was not going to run any risk.

Alvean joined us, and Celestine complimented her on her riding. Then we went back to the house, and tea, over which I presided, was served in the punch room.

I thought what a happy afternoon that was.

Connan TreMellyn came back the day before the show. I was glad he had not returned before, because I was afraid that Alvean might betray her excitement.

I was entered for one of the early events in which points were scored, particularly for jumping. It was what they called a mixed event which meant that men and women competed together.

Tapperty, who knew I was going to enter, wouldn’t hear of my riding on Dion.

” Why, Miss,” he said, the day before the show, ” if you’d have took Jacinth when she was offered you, you would have got first prize. That mare be a winner and so would you be, Miss, on her back. Old Dion, he’s a good fellow, but he ain’t no prize winner. How’d you say to taking Royal Rover?”

” What if Mr. TreMellyn objected?”

Tapperty winked.

“Nay, he’d not object. He’ll be riding n out to the show on May Morning, so old Royal ‘un be free. I’ll tell ‘ee what, just suppose master was to say to me Saddle up Royal Rover for me, Tapperty.” Right, then I’d saddle the Rover for him and it would be May Morning for you, Miss. Nothing ‘ud please master more than for to see his horse win a prize. “

I was anxious to show off before Connan TreMellyn and I agreed to Tapperty’s suggestion. After all, I was teaching his daughter to ride and that meant that I could, with the approval of his head stable man, make my selection from the stables.

The night before the show I presented Alvean with the brooch.

She was extremely delighted.

“It’s a whip!” she cried.

” It will pin your cravat,” I said, ” and I hope bring you luck.”

” It will. Miss. I know it will.”

” Well, don’t rely on it too much. Remember luck only comes to those who deserve it.” I quoted the beginning of an old rhyme which Father used to say to us.

” Your head and your heart keep boldly up, Your chin and your heels keep down.” I went on:

” And when you take your jump together … go with Prince.”

” I’ll remember.”

“Excited?”

” It seems so long in coming.”

” It’ll come fast enough.”

That night when I went in to say good night to her I sat on her bed and we talked about the show.

I was a little anxious about her, because she was too excited, and I tried to calm her down. I told her she must go to sleep for if she did not she would not be fresh for the morning.

” But how does one sleep, Miss,” she asked, ” when sleep won’t come?”

I realised then the magnitude of what I had done. A few months before, when I had come to this house, this girl had been afraid to mount a horse; now she was looking forward to competing at the horse show.

That was all well and good. I would have preferred her interest not to have been centred so wholeheartedly on her father. It was his approval which meant so much to her.

She was not only eager; she was apprehensive, so desperately did she long for his admiration.

I went to my room and came back with a book of Mr. Longfellow’s poems.

I sat down by her bed and began to read to her, for I knew of nothing to turn the mind to peace than his narrative poem, ” Hiawatha.”

I often quoted it when I was trying to sleep and then I would feel myself torn from the events of this world in which I lived and in my imagination I would wander along through the primeval forests with the “rustlings of great rivers … and their wild reverberations.”

The words flowed from my lips. I knew I was conjuring up visions for Alvean. She had forgotten the show . her fears and her hopes. She was with the little Hiawatha sitting at the feet of the good Nokomis and—she slept.

I woke up on the day of the horse show to find the mist had penetrated my room. I got out of bed and went to the window. Little wisps of it encircled the palm trees and the feathery leaves of the evergreen pines were decorated with little drops of moisture.

” I hope the mist lifts before the afternoon,” I said to myself.

But all through the morning it persisted, and there were anxious looks and whispers throughout the house where everyone was thinking of the show. Most of the servants were going. They always did. Kitty told me, because the master had special interest in it as one of the judges, and Billy Trehay and some of the stable boys were entrants.

“It do put master in a good mood to see his horses win,” said Kitty: ” but they say he’s always harder on his own than on others.”

Immediately after luncheon Alvean and I set out; she was riding Black Prince and I was on Royal Rover. It was exhilarating to be on a good horse, and I felt as excited as Alvean; I fear I was just as eager to shine in the eyes of Connan TreMellyn as she was.

The show was being held in a big field close to the village church, and when we arrived the crowds were already gathering.

Alvean and I parted company when we reached the field and I discovered that the event in which I was competing was one of the first.

The show was intended to start at two-fifteen, but there was the usual delay, and at twenty past we were still waiting to begin.

The mist had lifted slightly, but it was a leaden day; the sky was like a grey blanket and everything seemed to have accumulated a layer of moisture. The sea smell was strong but the waves were silent to-day and the cry of the gulls was more melancholy than ever.

Connan arrived with the other judges; there were three of them, all local worthies. Connan, I saw, had come on May Morning, as I expected, since I had been given Royal Rover.

The village band struck up a traditional air and everyone stood still and sang.

It was very impressive, I thought, to hear those words sung with such fervour in that misty field:

” And shall they scorn Tre Pol and Pen, And shall Trelawney die~> Then twenty thousand Cornish men Will know the reason why.”

A proud song, I thought, for an insular people; and they stood at attention as they sang. I noticed little Gillyflower standing there, singing with the rest, and I was surprised to see her; she was with Daisy and I hoped the girl would look after her.

She saw me and I waved to her, but she lowered her eyes at once, yet I could see that she was smiling to herself and I was quite pleased.

A rider came close to me and a voice said : ” Well, if it is not Miss Leigh, herself!”

I turned and saw Peter Nansellock; he was mounted on Jacinth.

” Good afternoon,” I said, and my eyes lingered on the perfections of Jacinth.

I was wearing a placard with a number on my back which had been put there by one of the organisers.

” Don’t tell me,” said Peter Nansellock, ” that you and I are competitors in this first event.”

” Are you in it then?”

He turned, and I saw the placard on his back.

” I haven’t a hope,” I said.

” Against me?”

” Against Jacinth,” I answered.

” Miss Leigh, you could have been riding her.”

” You must have been mad to do what you did. You set the stables talking.”

” Who cares for stable boys?”

” I do.”

“Then you are not being your usual sensible self.”

“A governess has to care for the opinions of all and sundry.”

” You are not an ordinary governess.”

” Do you know, Mr. Nansellock,” I said lightly, ” I believe all the governesses in your life were no ordinary governesses. If they had been, perhaps they would have had no place in your life.”