I gave Royal Rover a gentle touch on the flank and he responded immediately.

I did not see Peter again until he was competing. He went before I did. I watched him ride round the field. He and Jacinth seemed like one animal. Like a centaur, I thought. Were they the creatures with the head and shoulders of a man and the body of a horse?

” Oh, perfect,” I explained aloud as I watched him take the Jumps and canter gracefully round the field. And who couldn’t, I said to myself maliciously, on a mare like that!

A round of applause followed him as he finished his turn.

Mine did not come until some time later.

I saw Connan TreMellyn in the judges’ stand. And I whispered: ” Royal Rover, help me. I want you to beat Jacinth. I want you to win this prize. I want to show Connan TreMellyn that there is one thing I can do. Help me. Royal Rover.”

The sensitive ears seemed to prick up as Royal Rover moved daintily forward and I knew that he heard me, and would respond to the appeal in my voice, ” Come on. Rover,” I whispered. ” We can do it.”

And we went round as faultlessly, I hoped, as Jacinth had. I heard the applause burst out as I finished, and walked my horse away.

We waited until the rest of the competitors were finished and the results were called. I was glad that they were announced at the end of each event. People were more interested immediately after they had seen a performance. The practice of announcing all winners at the end of the meeting I had always thought to be a sort of anticlimax.

” This one is a tie,” Connan was saying. ” Two competitors scored full marks in this one. It’s most unusual, but I am happy to say that the winners are a lady and a gentleman: Miss Martha Leigh on Royal Rover, and Mr. Peter Nansellock on Jacinth.”

We trotted up to take our prizes.

Connan said: ” The prize is a silver rose bowl. How can we split it?

Obviously we cannot do that so the lady gets the bowl. “

” Of course,” said Peter.

” But you get a silver spoon,” Connan told him. ” Consolation for having tied with a lady.”

We accepted our prizes, and as Connan gave me mine he was smiling, very well pleased.

” Good show. Miss Leigh. I did not know anyone could get so much out of Royal Rover.”

I patted Royal Rover and said, more for his hearing than anyone else’s: “I couldn’t have had a better partner.”

Then Peter and I trotted off; I with my rose bowl, he with his spoon.

Peter said: ” If you had been on Jacinth you would have been the undisputed winner.”

” I should still have had to compete against you on something else.”

” Jacinth would win any race … just look at her. Isn’t she perfection? Never mind, you got the rose bowl.”

” I shall always feel that it is not entirely mine.”

” When you arrange your roses you will aways think, Part of this belonged to that man … what was his name? He was always charming to me, but I was a little add with him. I’m sorry now.”

” I rarely forget people’s names, and I feel I have nothing to regret in my conduct towards you.”

” There is a way out of this rose bowl situation. Suppose we set up house together. It could have a place of honour there. Ours,” we could say, and both feel happy about it. “

I was angry at this flippancy, and I said: ” We should, I am sure, feel far from happy about everything else.”

And I rode away.

I wanted to be near the Judges’ stand when Alvean appeared. I wanted to watch Connan’s face as his daughter performed. I wanted to be dose when she took her prize—which I was sure she would, for she was eager to win and she had worked hard. The jumps should offer no difficulty to her.

The elementary jumping contest for eight-year-olds began and I was feverishly impatient, waiting for Alvean’s turn as I watched those little girls and boys go through their performances. But there was no Alvean. The contest was over and the results announced.

I felt sick with disappointment. So she had panicked at the last moment. My work had been in vain. When the great moment came her fears had returned.

When the prizes were being given I went in search of Alvean, but I could not find her, and as the more advanced jumping contest for the eight-year-old group was about to begin, it occurred to me that she must have gone back to the house. I pictured her abject misery because after all our talk, all our practice, her courage had failed her at the critical moment.

I wanted to get away, for now my own petty triumph meant nothing to me, and I wanted to find Alvean quickly, to comfort her if need be, and I felt sure she would need my comfort.

I rode back to Mount Mellyn, hung up my saddle and bridle, gave Royal Rover a quick rub-down and a drink, and left him munching an armful of hay in his stall while I went into the house.

The back door was unlatched and I went in. The house seemed very quiet. I guessed that all but Mrs. Polgrey were at the horse show.

Mrs. Polgrey would probably be in her room having her afternoon doze.

I went up to my room and called Alvean as I went.

There was no answer so I hurried through the school room to her room which was deserted. Perhaps she had not come back to the house. I then remembered that I had not seen Prince in the stables. But then I had forgotten to look in his stall.

I came back to my room and stood uncertainly at the window. I thought, I’ll go back to the show. She’s probably still there.

And as I stood at the window I knew that someone was in Alice’s apartments. I was not sure how I knew. It may only have been a shadow across the window-pane. But I was certain that someone was there. “

Without thinking very much of what I would do when I discovered who was there I ran from my room, through the gallery to Alice’s rooms. My riding-boots must have made a clatter along the gallery. I threw open the door of the room and shouted: ” Who is here? Who is it?”

No one was in the room, but I saw in that fleeting second, the communicating door between the two rooms dose.

I had a feeling that it might be Alvean who was there, and I was sure that Alvean’needed me at this moment. I had to find her, and any fear I might have had, disappeared. I ran across the dressing room and opened the door of the bedroom. I looked round the room. I ran to the curtains and felt them. There was no one there. Then I ran to the other door and opened it. I was in another dressing room and the communicating door similar to that in Alice’s was open. I went through and immediately I knew that I was in Connan’s bedroom for I saw a cravat, which he had been wearing that morning, flung on the dressing table. I saw his dressing gown and slippers.

The sight of these made me blush and realise that I was trespassing in a part of the house where I had no right to be.

But someone other than Conhan had been there before me. Who was it?

I went swiftly across the bedroom, opened the door and found myself in the gallery.

There was no sign of anyone there so I went slowly back to my room.

Who had been in Alice’s room? Who was it who haunted the place?

” Alice,” I said aloud. ” Is it you, Alice?”

Then I went down to the stables. I wanted to get back to the show and find Alvean.

I had saddled Royal Rover and was riding out of the stable yard when I saw Billy Trehay hurrying towards the house.

He said: “Oh Miss, there’s been an accident. A terrible accident.”

“What?” I stammered.

” It’s Miss Alvean. She took a toss in the jumping.”

” But she wasn’t in the jumping!” I cried.

” Yes she were. In the eight-year-olds. Advanced class. It was the high jump. Prince stumbled and fell. They went rolling over and over…”

For a moment I lost control of myself; I covered my face with my hands and cried out in protest.

” They were looking for you. Miss,” he said.

” Where is she then?”

” She were down there in the field. They’m afraid to move her. They wrapped her up and now they’m waiting for Dr. Pengelly to come. They think she may have broken some bones. Her father’s with her. He kept saying, Where’s Miss Leigh?” And I saw you leave so I came after you. I think perhaps you’d better be getting down there. Miss . since he was asking for you like. “

I turned away and rode as fast as I dared down the hill into the village, and as I rode I prayed, and scolded:

” Oh God, let her be all right. Oh Alvean, you little fool! It would have been enough to take the simple jumps. That would have pleased him enough. You could have done the high jumps next year. Alvean, my poor, poor child.” And then: “It’s his fault. It’s all his fault. If he had been a human parent this wouldn’t have happened.”

And so I came to the field. I shall never forget what I saw there:

Alvean lying unconscious on the grass, and the group round her and others standing about. There would be no more competitions that day.

For a moment I was terrified that she had been killed.

Connan’s face was stern as be looked at me.

“Miss Leigh,” he said, “I’m glad you’ve come. There’s been an accident. Alvean …”

I ignored him and knelt down beside her.

“Alvean … my dear …” I murmured.

She opened her eyes then. She did not look like my arrogant little pupil. She was just a lost and bewildered child.

But she smiled.

“Don’t go away …” she said.

“No, I’ll stay here.”

” You did go … before …” she murmured, and I had to bend low to catch her words.

And then I knew. She was not speaking to Martha Leigh, the governess.