She wondered dully why there was so little applause
now. Was she doing so badly? Once she had jumped too low and knocked
against a hurdle instead of clearing it properly. The grooms had
helped her by lowering everything as much as possible, but all they
could do had not been able to disguise her unwonted awkwardness.
She would have a few minutes' rest when the clown came on, and perhaps
that would help her to go through the rest of the act without an
absolute breakdown.
The interlude was all too short, the signal came and she sprang up and
poised herself mechanically. Again the waltz music struck up and Don
Juan's hoofs fell with a soft thud upon the tan. The hurdles and gates
had all been cleared successfully, and now she must dismount and let
her steed go round alone while she ran across from the opposite side of
the ring and vaulted from the ground to the saddle.
It was the trick she had found impossible to get through at the
rehearsal, the trick she most dreaded. Everything depended on her
coolness and steadiness. She must start exactly at the right time, and
measure the distance with unerring precision.
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