"
"No, no — 'Seraphine!' nonsense!" said Miss Sophia; — "call
him Benedict Arnold, Ellen; and then it will be a relief to
your mind to whip him."
"Whip him!" said Ellen; "I don't want to whip him, I am sure;
and I should be afraid too, besides."
"Hasn't John taught you that lesson, yet?" said the young
lady; "he is perfect in it himself. Do you remember, Alice,
the chastising he gave that fine black horse of ours we called
the 'Black Prince' — a beautiful creature he was — more that a
year ago? My conscience! he frightened me to death."
"I remember," said Alice; "I remember I could not look on."
"What did he do that for?" said Ellen.
"What's the matter, Ellen Montgomery?" said Miss Sophia,
laughing; "where did you get that long face? Are you thinking
of John or the horse?"
Ellen's eyes turned to Alice.
"My dear Ellen," said Alice, smiling, though she spoke
seriously — "it was necessary; it sometimes is necessary to do
such things. You do not suppose John would do it cruelly or
unnecessarily?"
Ellen's face shortened considerably.
"But what had the horse been doing?"
"He had not been doing anything; he would _not_ do — that was
the trouble; he was as obstinate as a mule."
"My dear Ellen," said Alice, "it was no such terrible matter
as Sophia's words have made you believe. It was a clear case
of obstinacy. The horse was resolved to have his own way, and
not do what his rider required of him; it was necessary that
either the horse or the man should give up; and as John has no
fancy for giving up, he carried his point — partly by
management, partly, I confess, by a judicious use of the whip
and spur; but there was no such furious flagellation as Sophia
seems to mean, and which a good horse-man would scarce be
guilty of.
Pages:
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633