第59章

Having reached the common， out of sight of the house， Miss Cameron， instead of looking after Harry， lest he should have too much exercise， scampered about like a wild girl， jumping everything that came in her way， and so exciting Harry's pony， that it was almost more than he could do to manage it， till at last Hugh had to beg her to go more quietly， for Harry's sake. She drew up alongside of them at once， and made her mare stand as still as she could， while Harry made his first essay upon a little ditch. After crossing it two or three times， he gathered courage； and setting his pony at a larger one beyond， bounded across it beautifully.

"Bravo！ Harry！" cried both Euphra and Hugh. Harry galloped back， and over it again； then came up to them with a glow of proud confidence on his pale face.

"You'll be a horseman yet， Harry，" said Hugh.

"I hope so，" said Harry， in an aspiring tone， which greatly satisfied his tutor. The boy's spirit was evidently reviving.

Euphra must have managed him ill. Yet she was not in the least effeminate herself. It puzzled Hugh a good deal. But he did not think about it long； for Harry cantering away in front， he had an opportunity of saying to Euphra：

"Are you offended with me， Miss Cameron？"

"Offended with you！ What do you mean？ A girl like me offended with a man like you？"She looked two and twenty as she spoke； but even at that she was older than Hugh. He， however， certainly looked considerably older than he really was.

"What makes you think so？" she added， turning her face towards him.

"You would not speak to me when we came home yesterday.""Not speak to you？--I had a little headache--and perhaps I was a little sullen， from having been in such bad company all the morning.""What company had you？" asked Hugh， gazing at her in some surprise.

"My own，" answered she， with a lovely laugh， thrown full in his face. Then after a pause： "Let me advise you， if you want to live in peace， not to embark on that ocean of discovery.""What ocean？ what discovery？" asked Hugh， bewildered， and still gazing.

"The troubled ocean of ladies' looks，" she replied. "You will never be able to live in the same house with one of our kind， if it be necessary to your peace to find out what every expression that puzzles you may mean.""I did not intend to be inquisitive--it really troubled me.""There it is. You must never mind us. We show so much sooner than men--but， take warning， there is no making out what it is we do show. Your faces are legible； ours are so scratched and interlined， that you had best give up at once the idea of deciphering them."Hugh could not help looking once more at the smooth， simple， na飗e countenance shining upon him.

"There you are at it again，" she said， blushing a little， and turning her head away. "Well， to comfort you， I will confess I was rather cross yesterday--because--because you seemed to have been quite happy with only one of your pupils."As she spoke the words， she gave Fatima the rein， and bounded off， overtaking Harry's pony in a moment. Nor did she leave her cousin during all the rest of their ride.

Most women in whom the soul has anything like a chance of reaching the windows， are more or less beautiful in their best moments.

Euphra's best was when she was trying to fascinate. Then she was--fascinating. During the first morning that Hugh spent at Arnstead， she had probably been making up her mind whether， between her and Hugh， it was to be war to the knife， or fascination. The latter had carried the day， and was now carrying him. But had she calculated that fascination may re-act as well？

Hugh's heart bounded， like her Arab steed， as she uttered the words last recorded. He gave his chestnut the rein in his turn， to overtake her； but Fatima's canter quickened into a gallop， and， inspirited by her companionship， and the fact that their heads were turned stablewards， Harry's pony， one of the quickest of its race， laid itself to the ground， and kept up， taking three strides for Fatty's two， so that Hugh never got within three lengths of them till they drew rein at the hall-door， where the grooms were waiting them. Euphra was off her mare in a moment， and had almost reached her own room before Hugh and Harry had crossed the hall. She came down to luncheon in a white muslin dress， with the smallest possible red spot in it； and， taking her place at the table， seemed to Hugh to have put off not only her riding habit， but the self that was in it as well； for she chatted away in the most unconcerned and easy manner possible， as if she had not been out of her room all the morning. She had ridden so hard， that she had left her last speech in the middle of the common， and its mood with it； and there seemed now no likelihood of either finding its way home.