Page:The Complete Works of Lyof N. Tolstoi - 08 (Crowell, 1899).djvu/90

78 I became so sorry for Voronok that I began to caress his sweaty neck, and to ask his forgiveness for the beating that I had given him.

Since that time I have grown older, and I still always pity horses, and I always remember Voronok and Pimen Timofeiïtch when I see any one abusing a horse.

I was a little boy, we four brothers had our lessons every day except Sundays and holidays, when we were free and could play together.

One time father said:—

"You older children must learn to ride horseback; you must be sent to riding-school."

I was the youngest, and I asked:—

"Can't I learn, too?"

My father said:—

"You would tumble off."

I began to tease him to let me learn, too, and I almost cried.

My father said:—

"Very well, then, you shall take lessons, too. Only see here: don't you cry if you fall. One who never falls from a horse will never learn to ride."

When Wednesday came, three of us were taken to the riding-school. We went up a great staircase, and from the great staircase we went up a narrow staircase. And the narrow staircase opened into a very large room. In this room there was sand instead of a floor; and gentlemen and ladies, as well as lads like ourselves, were riding on horseback.

This was the riding-school.

It was rather dark, and there was an odor of horses, and we could hear people cracking whips, and shouting to horses, and the pounding of horses' hoofs against the