e-year-old feet, while
the little hands hung on to his pig-tail, which I called my bridle (those
were days of pig-tails), hung so fast, and tugged so heartily, that
sometimes the ribbon would come off between my fingers, and send his hair
floating, and the powder flying down his back. That climax of mischief was
the crowning joy of all. I can hear our shouts of laughter now.

Nor were these my only rides. This dear papa of mine, whose gay and
careless temper all the professional _etiquette_ of the world could never
tame into the staid gravity proper to a doctor of medicine, happened to be
a capital horseman; and abandoning the close carriage, which, at that
time, was the regulation conveyance of a physician, almost wholly to my
mother, used to pay his country visits on a favorite blood-mare, whose
extreme docility and gentleness tempted him, after certain short trials
round our old course, the orchard, into having a pad constructed, perched
upon which I might occasionally accompany him, when the weather was
favorable, and the distance not too great. A groom, who had been bred up
in my grandfather's family, always attended us; and I do think that both
Brown Bess and George liked to have me with them almost as well as my
father did. The old servant proud, as grooms always are, of a fleet and
beautiful horse, was almost as proud of my horsemanship; for I, cowardly
enough, Heaven knows, in after-years, was then too young and too ignorant
for fear--if it could have been possible to have had any sense of danger
when strapped so tightly to my father's saddle, and inclosed so fondly by
his strong and loving arm. Very delightful were those rides across the
breezy Hampshire downs on a sunny summer morning; and grieved was I when a
change of residence from a small town to a large one, and going among
strange people who did not know our ways, put an end to this perfectly
harmless, if somewhat unusual pleasure.

But the dear papa was not my only spoiler. His example was followed, as
bad examples are pretty sure to be, by the rest of the household. My maid
Nancy, for instance, before we left Hampshire, married a young farmer; and
nothing would serve her but I must be bridesmaid. And so it was settled.

She was married from her own home, about four miles from our house, and
was to go to her husband's after the ceremony. I remember the whole scene
as if it were yesterday! How my father took me himself to the church-yard
gate, where th