Oldal 143 [143]
LLIILE LORD FAUNTLEROY. 123
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Fauntleroy mounted-in great delight. He had never been on
a pony before, and he was in the highest spirits. Wilkins, the
groom, led the animal by the bridle up and down before the library
window.
‘He s a well plucked un, he is,” Wilkins remarked in the stable
afterward with many grins. "It were nt no trouble to put 42 up.
An’ a old un would n't ha’ sat any straighter when he weve up. He
ses—ses he to me, ‘ Wilkins,’ he ses, ‘am I sitting up straight?
They sit up straight at the circus, ses he. An’ I ses, ‘As straight
as a arrer, your lordship !’—an’ he laughs, as pleased as could be,
an’ he ses, ‘That ’s right,’ he ses, ‘you tell me if I don’t sit up
straight, Wilkins!’” j
But sitting up straight and being led at a walk were not
altogether and completely satisfactory. After a few minutes, Faunt¬
leroy spoke to his grandfather — watching him from the window:
‘Can’t I go by myself?” he asked; "and can’t I go faster? The
boy on Fifth Avenue used to trot and canter!”
‘Do you think you could trot and canter?” said the Earl.
‘‘T should like to try,” answered Fauntleroy.
His lordship made a sign to Wilkins, who at the signal brought
up his own horse and mounted it and took Fauntleroy’s pony by the
leading-rein.
- Now,” said the Earl, "let him trot.”
The next few minutes were rather exciting to the small eques¬
trian. He found that trotting was not so easy as walking, and the
faster the pony trotted, the less easy it was.
“Tt j-jolts a g-goo-good deal—do-does nt it?” he said to
Wilkins. ‘ D-does it j-jolt y-you?”
‘No, my lord,” answered Wilkins. " You ll get used to it in
time. Rise in your stirrups.”
“T’m ri-rising all the t-time,” said Fauntleroy. .