Just then the master's friend went up to him and began to talk with him,
and the master stopped looking at me.
Suddenly I felt that I had slipped a little to one side on my saddle. I
wanted to straighten myself up, but was unable to do so. I wanted to
call out to the master to stop the horse, but I thought it would be a
disgrace if I did it, and so kept silence. The master was not looking at
me and Ruddy ran at a trot, and I slipped still more to one side. I
looked at the master and thought that he would help me, but he was still
talking with his friend, and without looking at me kept repeating:
"Well done, young gentleman!"
I was now altogether to one side, and was very much frightened. I
thought that I was lost; but I felt ashamed to cry. Ruddy shook me up
once more, and I slipped off entirely and fell to the ground. Then Ruddy
stopped, and the master looked at the horse and saw that I was not on
him. He said:
"I declare, my young gentleman has dropped off!" and walked over to me.
When I told him that I was not hurt, he laughed and said:
"A child's body is soft."
I felt like crying. I asked him to put me again on the horse, and I was
lifted on the horse. After that I did not fall down again.
Thus we rode twice a week in the riding-school, and I soon learned to
ride well, and was not afraid of anything.