"I've seen plenty of ponies," she would repeat; "I know what they are, my dear," and she invariably followed up this statement by rehearsing the fate of her brother-in-law's cousin, sometimes adding-- "He was very much giving to racing, and being about horses. He was a little man, and suffered a deal from the quinsies in the autumn." "What a pity he didn't die of a quinsy instead of breaking his neck!" I felt compelled to say one day. "He might have lived to have done that if it hadn't a been for the pony," said Mrs. Bundle emphatically. CHAPTER XVII I FAIL TO TEACH LATIN TO MRS. BUNDLE--THE RECTOR TEACHES ME I was soon to discover the whole of my father's plans with Mr. Andrewes for my benefit. Not only had they decided that I was to have a pony, and learn to ride, but it was also settled that I was to go daily to the Rectory to "do lessons" with the Rector. I was greatly pleased. I had already begun Latin with my father, and had vainly endeavoured to share my educational advantages with Mrs. Bundle, by teaching her the first declension. "Musa, amuse," she repeated after me on this occasion. "Musae, of a muse," I continued. "_Of amuse!_ There's no sense in that, my dearie," said Mrs. Bundle; and as my ideas were not very well defined on the subject of the muses, and as Mrs. Bundle's were even less so as to genders, numbers, and cases, I reluctantly gave in to her decision that "Latin was very well for young gentlemen, but good plain English was best suited to the likes of her." She was greatly delighted, however, with a Latin valentine which I prepared for her on the ensuing 14th of February, and caused to be delivered by the housemaid, in an envelope with an old stamp, and postmarks made with a pen and a penny. The design was very simple; a heart traced in outline from a peppermint lozenge of that shape, which came to me in an ounce of "mixed sweets" from the village shop. The said heart was painted red and below it I wrote in my largest and clearest handwriting, _Mrs. B. Amo te_. When the Latin was translated for her, her gratification was great. At first she was put out by there being only two Latin words to three English ones, but she got over the difficulty at last by always reading it thus:-- "A mo te, I love thee." My Latin had not advanced much beyond this stage when I began to go to Mr. Andrewes every day.