Then, afraid she had been unkind, she added in altered tone: "You
had better go and have a gallop. You may have Larkie if you like."
He turned and left the room. She only meant to pique him, he said to
himself. She had been cherishing her displeasure, and now she had
had her revenge would feel better and be sorry next! It was a very
good morning's work after all! It was absurd to think she preferred
a Greek lesson from a clown to a ride with lord Forgue! Was not she
too a Graeme!
Partly to make reconciliation the easier, partly because the horse
was superior to his own, he would ride Larkie!
But his reasoning was not so satisfactory to him as to put him in a
good temper, and poor Larkie had to suffer for his ill-humour. His
least movement that displeased him put him in a rage, and he rode
him so foolishly as well as tyrannically that he brought him home
quite lame, thus putting an end for a time to all hope of riding
again with Arctura.
Instead of going and telling her what he had done, he sent for the
farrier, and gave orders that the mishap should not be mentioned.
A week passed, and then another; and as he could say nothing about
riding, he was in a measure self-banished from Arctura's company. A
furious jealousy began to master him. He scorned to give place to it
because of the insult to himself if he allowed a true ground for it.
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