this horse; any one, perhaps, that."

"There speaks the Dare-all!" said Lionel, laughing. The host did not
look displeased.

"Where no difficulty, there no pleasure," said he in his curt laconic
diction. "I was in Spain two years ago. I had not an English horse
there, so I bought that Andalusian jennet. What has served him at need,
no /preux chevalier/ would leave to the chance of ill-usage. So the
jennet came with me to England. You have not been much accustomed to
ride, I suppose?"

"Not much; but my dear mother thought I ought to learn. She pinched for
a whole year to have me taught at a riding-school during one school
vacation."

"Your mother's relations are, I believe, well off. Do they suffer her to
pinch?"

"I do not know that she has relations living; she never speaks of them."

"Indeed!" This was the first question on home matters that Darrell had
ever directly addressed to Lionel. He there dropped the subject, and
said, after a short pause, "I was not aware that you are a horseman, or I
would have asked you to accompany me; will you do so to-morrow, and mount
the jennet?"

"Oh, thank you; I should like it so much."

Darrell turned abruptly away from the bright, grateful eyes. "I am only