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Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy
and Learning
VetBooks.ir

Equine-Facilitated
Psychotherapy
and Learning
The Human-Equine Relational
Development (HERD) Approach

Veronica Lac, PhD

Executive Director, The HERD Institute,
New Albany, OH, United States
VetBooks.ir

Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier

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Copyright r 2017 Veronica Lac. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Author Mrs. Crabtree retains copyright for his original figure (horse human continuum) and gives us a
non-exclusive license to publish; Therefore, the copyright line for this figure is: Copyright r 2017 Elisabeth
Ann Crabtree. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Publisher
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Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden
our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become
necessary.

Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and
using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information
or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom
they have a professional responsibility.

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For Rupert, the Goth rock pony that stole my heart and
set me on this journey of equine discovery. You are in
my heart always, and I am forever grateful to the lessons you
offered me. I hope your days are spent running free in green
pastures, wherever you may be.
VetBooks.ir

About the Author

Veronica Lac, PhD. LPC

Dr. Veronica Lac has 20 years of experience as a corporate trainer and men-
tal health professional as well as a certified therapeutic riding instructor, pro-
viding her with an integrated perspective to EFPL. Her academic
background includes a Masters in Training and Performance Management, a
Masters in Gestalt Psychotherapy, and a PhD in Psychology. She is trained
in a number of models in EFPL including a mentorship in Adventures in
Awareness with Barbara Rector, a pioneering influence in this field, and cer-
tification through the Gestalt Equine Institute of the Rockies. This has
allowed her to combine her theoretical understanding into a relational and
embodied approach to EFPL. Veronica is passionate about working with cli-
ents to enable them to reach their full potential, and is an experienced corpo-
rate trainer offering one-to-one coaching and organizational consultancy.
Clients range from large corporate businesses to individuals, couples, and
families.
Veronica was a UKCP Registered Psychotherapist in the United
Kingdom, and since moving to the United States in 2011, she has gained
licensure as a professional counselor and completed her PhD in Psychology
through Saybrook University. She specializes in working with eating disor-
ders, trauma, and attachment and has developed equine and canine assisted
programs for at-risk adolescents in collaboration with residential treatment
centers and eating disorder clinics. She is also a PATH registered therapeutic
riding instructor for clients with cognitive, physical, and emotional disabil-
ities. Veronica is passionate about research in the field of equine facilitated
psychotherapy and has multiple publications internationally in peer-reviewed
journals.

xi
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Contributors

Elisabeth Crabtree MSc., GEP, MIAEB, AISRB

In addition to a long career as a Business and Management Consultant,
Elisabeth also has extensive teaching experience at colleges and universities.
Elisabeth combines her life-long horsemanship skills with her business
experience in order to develop equine-facilitated programs. She works
with individuals and groups, with an emphasis on professional and business
development, communication skills, and team building. A lifelong eques-
trian, Elisabeth is certified through the Gestalt Equine Institute of the
Rockies in Gestalt Equine Psychotherapy (GEP), holds an OK Corral Series
certification in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) and Equine Assisted
Learning (EAL) as well as a Masters in Education and Training. She is an
official coach with the International Society of Rider Biomechanics, a found-
ing member of the International Association of Equestrian Biomechanics,
and a Certified Equine First Aid Instructor through Equi-Health Canada, all
of which supports her somatically based approach to EFPL.
Chris Goodall, LISW-S
Chris is a licensed independent Social Work Supervisor, certified by the
equine assisted growth and learning association as both a mental health
professional and an equine specialist and a member of the Professional
Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International. She has worked
in community based, inpatient, and residential behavioral health settings.
Chris is currently employed by the Louis Stokes Cleveland DVAMC
working in the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center where she
initiated an equine-facilitated psychotherapy program. Chris is a lecturer for
Lake Erie College for the Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy and Learning
program, and is in private practice offering both traditional and equine-
facilitated psychotherapy services.

xiii
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Foreword

Dr. Veronica Lac offers us a clear view of the future in this practical concise
treatise on practice and teaching wellness work with horses. It has been a
personal privilege for me to learn from mentor and work with this gifted pro-
fessional. This volume contains illuminating answers for those interested in
offering services with the help of horses in the fields of psychotherapy and
experiential education.
A remarkably clear and practical conceptual framework for practice
of Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy and teaching of Equine Facilitated
Learning (EFP/EFL), Veronica’s book offers the reader specific examples of
various elements of the Human-Equine Relational Development (HERD)
model. Developed by Veronica over the course of her international studies,
PhD research, and practice with horses helping people, this powerful and
well thought out process for engaging people relationally with horses to
experience and embody the gifts horses offer to humans is the new wave of
the future. Veronica is a certified PATH Int. instructor, and this experience
adds considerably to the depth and variety of her skill base. The case studies
offer a powerful insight into the HERD model in action.
I first met Veronica in 2013 at the European Horse Assisted Education
Conference in Cleveland, and then again at the 2015 PATH Intl. Conference
where she and her practice partner, Elisabeth Crabtree, offered an eye open-
ing session on the wide varieties and forms possible when two imaginative
and well-trained professionals collaborate and design potent individualized
sessions for their clients. These two focused on relational aspects of learning
to befriend horses safely while encouraging their clients to test their personal
edges and grow. These ethical and relational principles are evident through-
out this book.
In this volume, Veronica includes her colleague Elisabeth’s contributions
in an illuminating chapter on staffing and facility considerations. Another
colleague, Chris Goodall, contributes a skilled chapter on considerations and
suggestions for working with Veterans in EFPL groups. Veronica also covers
the enhanced potential of working experientially with teams of people from
the corporate and business world.
YES, it is true, I am very partial to the organic approach of listening and
allowing the horses to express their immense talent to fully bloom in an
environment of a well thought out safety protocol, precise preparation and

xv
 xvi Foreword
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collaboration with staff both two and four legged. Prepare for a truly inspir-
ing read that is sure to pique your own co-creative gifts as you listen and
learn with your herd.

Heart Hugs,
Barbara K. Rector, MA
Skyview Casita, Tucson, AZ, United States
January 2, 2017
VetBooks.ir

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, to my husband, Quan, I offer my deepest gratitude. For

20 years, he has stood by my side as I have tumbled from one obsession to
the next, daydreaming my way through my life, looking for an elusive call-
ing that would fill my soul. Instead of offering me pragmatic advice, he
offered me his unwavering love, support, and encouragement to venture
beyond my immediate horizon, and to follow my heart toward the path
which intuitively felt right. It is because of his belief in me that my day-
dreams can become reality. For all the sacrifices that this took, the emotional
roller coaster, time, and finances, I am enormously grateful. The HERD
Institute, and this book would not exist without his belief in me. These
achievements are not mine alone but shared in equal measure with him.
Duey Freeman and Joan Rieger, at the Gestalt Equine Institute of the
Rockies where I began my training in EFP, were instrumental in instilling
the belief that this work is powerful and life changing when we place the
relationship at the heart of the work. It was here at GEIR that I first experi-
enced the magic of the coming together of horse and human herds that has
been so influential in my development as a practitioner.
I am thankful for the time I spent in Arizona with Barbara Rector and
Anna Calek. Their belief in me as a practitioner and teacher, and their
encouragement, provided the impetus I needed to create The HERD Institute
and write this book. Barbara’s mentorship reaffirmed for me to trust my
intuition with my horses as well as to trust them to guide me in our joint
endeavors.
I will forever be indebted to my childhood friend and sister, Lisa Clark,
not only for infecting me with her love of horses, but equally importantly,
for sharing her family with me, particularly, Elisabeth (Lis) Crabtree, for
almost 30 years. I have had the joy of sharing my GEIR journey with Lis.
Our conversations about coming into this work from opposite tracks have
been crucial in developing my way of working with horses. Lis has been
there for me throughout the years, no matter what, and wherever life has
taken me. Knowing that she will always have my back has given me the con-
fidence to challenge and step beyond the boundaries that I would otherwise
have been restricted by. It is an honor to call her a friend and colleague.
Louis Hoffman has been the most dedicated teacher I have ever known.
I am thankful for his exacting requirements, compassionate feedback, and

xvii
 xviii Acknowledgments
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invitations to participate and collaborate on presentations, papers, and

conferences. His faith in my abilities has opened doors I never imagined
possible.
I have been humbled by all my clients, past and present, for sharing their
journeys with me and allowing me to walk with them for a while. They have
all enormously contributed to my personal and clinical development.
Without their openness and willingness to sink deeper into their reflections,
this book would not have been possible.
Finally, I am beyond grateful for all the animals in my life who inspire
me to do this work. To our dog, Alfie, whose presence initially alerted
me to the power of the human animal bond, and whose loyal companionship
has seen me through my darkest days and warmed my heart with every beat
of his, I offer my continued devotion. To Tyson, who reaffirms my faith that
love can change anything. To my equine herds, past and present, I profess
my heartfelt gratitude: Rupert, Reba, Cheyenne, Arrow, Infinity, Tess,
Lucinda, Spirit, Samson, Freeman, Isaac, and Dina; I thank them all for lead-
ing me home.
 VetBooks.ir

PART I
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Chapter 1

Introduction
The field of equine-assisted/facilitated psychotherapy (EAP/EFP) and
equine-facilitated learning (EFL) is beginning to gain popularity in North
America and Europe. There have been a number of publications recently that
have made major contributions to the field in terms of theory and practice,
outlining ways to work with differing populations, and offering practical
suggestions in terms of exercises to set up with clients.
As a growing modality, there is still much to do in terms of empirical
research and explication of theories. As yet, there is little available in
the way of solid philosophical foundations from a scholarly perspective
of the work. This book is an attempt to open up the dialogue for both scho-
lars and practitioners to collectively build upon the work of the pioneers
in our field. It takes a deeper look at the philosophy behind what we
mean when we say that EAP/EFP and EFL helps to build relationships.
Whether we are working with therapy clients—individuals, couples, families,
and groups—or in educational or corporate/organizational environments, it is
important to understand our philosophical origins in order to bring the theory
alive in our practice. This book is for students, licensed mental health practi-
tioners, educators, and corporate/organizational trainers who are interested in
incorporating horses into their work with clients, as well as for those who
are already out there offering equine-facilitated learning and therapeutic
interventions. It is for the academic scholar wanting to delve deeper into
the philosophical origins of this field, as well as those who are new to the
language of philosophy.
The Human-Equine Relational Development (HERD) Institute offers
training and development for Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy and Learning
(EFPL) practitioners. The approach is influenced by my years of experience
in practice, and the HERD approach to EFPL is the result of my doctoral
research. This book also serves as the core text for the training at the HERD
Institute. The HERD Institute aims to create a global community, of students
and practitioners for EFPL who are committed to furthering the work of the
pioneers of our field. We offer an inclusive environment, embracing an atti-
tude of abundance, and honor the potential of all our members. We aim for
EFPL to be recognized as an empirically based treatment and educational
modality, and support members to develop the integrity of their personal phi-
losophy, expand their knowledge and skills, and broaden their horizons

Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy and Learning. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812601-1.00001-8

Copyright © 2017 Veronica Lac. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 3
 4 PART | I
VetBooks.ir

through continuous learning and practice. Our core values are centered on a
passion for learning, compassion for our fellow beings, and the commitment
to professional and personal development. It is my hope that these values are
evident throughout this book.
My experience in the last 20 years as a corporate trainer and mental
health professional, as well as a certified therapeutic riding instructor, pro-
vides me with an integrated perspective to EFPL. My academic background
includes a masters in training and performance management, a masters in
gestalt psychotherapy, and a PhD in psychology. I have trained in a number
of models in EFP/EFL including a mentorship in adventures in awareness
with Barbara Rector, a pioneering influence in this field, and certification
through the Gestalt Equine Institute of the Rockies. This has allowed me to
integrate my theoretical understanding into a somatically based clinical
practice and training methodology. The theoretical basis for the HERD
approach to EFPL is a synthesis of existential-humanistic psychology,
gestalt psychotherapy, therapeutic riding principles, and somatically based
experiential learning.
Body language and nonverbal communication have always intrigued me.
Within the corporate world, many decision-making moments can be observed
through subtle shifts in body language and nonverbal cues. Working as a
corporate trainer to senior executives in a wide range of businesses allowed
me to sink deeper into the nonverbal culture of organizations. Throughout my
training and practice as a gestalt therapist, I have been particularly impacted
by how much information is available through paying attention to both my
client’s, and my own, body process. From mindfully breathing and moving
exercises, to explorations of body positioning and postures, I have gained a
deeper insight into the embodied relational process of therapy.
Not long after graduating from my gestalt masters’ program, I decided to
treat myself to a block of horseback riding lessons. Around the same time,
my husband and I decided to bring a puppy into our lives. The combination
of these two events shifted my professional focus to the potential of animal
facilitated therapy and learning, and consequently an even fuller immersion
into embodiment-based practice. In my clinical work, I have specialized in
working with eating disorders, trauma, and attachment and have developed
equine and canine facilitated programs for at-risk adolescents in collabora-
tion with residential treatment centers, eating disorder clinics, and intensive
familiy-based out-patient programs. As a PATH International registered
therapeutic riding instructor, I work with clients with cognitive, physical,
and emotional challenges. As a corporate trainer, I have worked with the
CEOs and board level directors of Fortune 500 companies internationally in
equine-faciliated learning sessions.
Ultimately, when we are with animals, my academic credentials are
irrelevant. Presence is priority. As an animal lover, I am often more
comfortable in the company of my dogs and horses than with people, and it is
 16 PART | I
VetBooks.ir

dually credentialed as the equine professional. EFP may be conducted with

individuals, couples, families, or groups for a wide range of populations.

Theoretical perspectives and client populations

A review of the literature indicates that EAP and EFP practitioners stem from
a wide range of theoretical perspectives, serving a diverse range of clients.
Kay Trotter’s book, Harnessing the Power of Equine Assisted Counseling,
is a collection of case studies, research, and clinical techniques by EFMHS
practitioners, and at a glance does not reveal any particular pattern of matching
theoretical perspectives to EAP/EFP approach. Contributors include clinical
psychologists, licensed professional counselors, licensed social workers,
licensed marriage and family therapists, psychoanalysts, substance abuse coun-
selors, play therapists, and somatic practitioners. Populations served include
trauma, attachment, sexual abuse, children and adolescents, addiction, anxiety,
depression, and ADHD. Many of these practitioners developed their own certifi-
cation programs, methods, and techniques within the general frameworks
of EAP or EFP. This highlights the need for more research, both in terms of
assessing efficacy and in finding a way to unite the increasingly fragmented
field of EFMHS.

THE HERD INSTITUTE MODEL OF EFP

At the HERD Institute, we believe that the role of the EFP practitioner is
to facilitate a relationship between the horse and the client, and reflect
back to the client what the practitioner is witnessing during this process to
support the client’s therapeutic journey. The HERD Institute Model is
an embodied approach where practitioners are focusing on not just the
nonverbal communication with the horses, but also the nonverbal, body
awareness, and sensations for the client. In contrast to EAP where the activi-
ties for the session are usually planned in advance, the experiential elements
during an EFP session often arise in the moment, as a collaborative experi-
ment between the client, horse, and practitioner. At the center of the HERD
Institute Model are the philosophical foundations of an embodied, relational,
and authentic way of being.
VetBooks.ir

Chapter 3

Philosophical Foundations

The only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder. . . Most
adults accept the world as a matter of course. This is precisely where philosophers
are a notable exception. A philosopher never gets quite used to the world. To him
or her, the world continues to seem a bit unreasonable - bewildering, even enig-
matic. Philosophers and small children thus have an important faculty in common.
(Jostein Gaarder, Sophie’s World)

Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy and Learning (EFPL) is currently an umbrella

term for the eclectic mix of various disciplines and theories that incorporate
horses into clinical, educational, and organizational work with a diverse range
of clients. Students and practitioners of EFPL come from all walks of life and
are licensed psychologists, social workers, counselors, educators, coaches, and
corporate trainers, all working from a different philosophical and theoretical
origin, with the common belief that the interaction with horses brings healing,
learning, and personal development for clients. They may or may not work in
partnership with an equine specialist, whose role varies from solely providing
safety for equines and humans during sessions, to being a fully integrated part
of the facilitation process. The equine specialist is often not a trained facilitator
or mental health practitioner. The mental health practitioner, educator, or trainer,
may not be an experienced horse person. This not only brings a wealth of
knowledge and skills into the modality, but also offers up challenges in terms of
epistemology, ontology, and ethics. How do we know if what we do is
consistent with our philosophical foundations? Does our way of working
represent a coherent framework that reflects our values and beliefs, or is it a
mix of ideas gleaned from different, and possibly contradicting, philosophies?
This chapter aims to critically assess these gaps and inconsistencies,
and outline the philosophical foundations of the HERD approach to EFPL.

PHILOSOPHICAL RELEVANCE
What is the relevance of a chapter on philosophy in a book on EFPL?
Philosophy is often seen as an obscure and exclusionary language, limited to
the realms of the ivory towers of academia, and much too abstract for the

Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy and Learning. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812601-1.00003-1

Copyright © 2017 Veronica Lac. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 17
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of All that
happened in a week
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.

Title: All that happened in a week

A story for little children

Author: Jane Helen Findlater

Illustrator: Rosa C. Petherick

Release date: October 7, 2023 [eBook #71825]

Language: English

Original publication: EN: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1905

Credits: This eBook was produced by: Delphine Lettau, Pat McCoy &
the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at
https://www.pgdpcanada.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALL THAT

HAPPENED IN A WEEK ***
“Do you live in that nice place among the baskets?”
Page 51.
ALL THAT HAPPENED
IN A WEEK A STORY
FOR LITTLE CHILDREN

By

Jane H. Findlater

LONDON, EDINBURGH,
DUBLIN, & NEW YORK
THOMAS NELSON
AND SONS

CONTENTS.
 I. The Arrival, 9
II. The Wasps, 15
III. The Doctor, 20
IV. The White Stones, 27
V. A Very Bad Child, 32
VI. A Day in Bed, 41
VII. The Adventure in the Lane, 49
VIII. The Ship, 60
IX. The Washing Day, 69
X. The Sea Beasts, 79
XI. The Last Day at Seafield, 86
 CHAPTER I.
THE ARRIVAL.

ne summer afternoon many years ago a child, called Peggy

Roberts, arrived at the door of her aunt’s house in an open
carriage. Peggy was just eight years old. She had been in
the train since early in the morning, and was very tired when the
carriage stopped at the door of Seafield. Then she noticed that
everything round her was new and different from things at home, and
she forgot about feeling tired. The house was exactly like the tea-
caddy that stood on the dining-room side-board at home, and had
been brought from China by her uncle—that is to say, it was quite
square, and you felt as if you could lift off the top like the lid of the
tea-caddy.
Right up to the windows there grew such a
lovely rose-tree, covered all over with
branches of bright red roses.
“O Martin, let me get some of the roses!”
Peggy cried, standing still on the steps of the
house.
Martin was her aunt’s maid, a stout, cross-
looking woman, who always refused to allow
Peggy to do anything she wanted.
“No, no, Miss Peggy, come in for your tea;
the roses are far too high up,” she said.
Peggy looked up at the beautiful dangling branches, and her mouth
went down at the corners; she thought nothing would make her
happy unless she got one of them.
It must have been because she was so tired that she began to
cry about nothing in this way. The coachman was more good-
natured than Martin, however, for he stood up on the box of the
carriage and gathered a bunch of the roses. “Here, missie,” he said,
leaning down from his high seat, and handing them to Peggy.
“Oh! oh! oh!” Peggy cried, burying her nose in the lovely red
bunch.
But then something horrid happened: a whole family of great, fat,
brown earwigs came hurrying and dropping out of the roses, in the
greatest speed to get away. Down went the roses on to the steps,
and Peggy cried in earnest now.
There was nothing she hated like earwigs, and to have a whole
nest of them fall out on her frock was too much for her altogether.
And then Martin was so pleased.
“See there, Miss Peggy; that’s what you get for wanting to pick
flowers!” she said. But she did brush away the earwigs, and stamped
upon the biggest of them to Peggy’s great disgust. Then they went
into the house, and she had to speak to her aunt; and, of course, she
had nothing to say to her.
Tea was on the table. A different kind of bread was there from the
home-bread Peggy knew. She went and stood beside the table and
looked at it, then put out her finger and touched it.
“Don’t touch things on the table!” said Aunt Euphemia.
“I’m sorry!” said Peggy, and wanted to cry again. But the door
opened, and such an exceedingly nice cat came walking in, just as if
the house belonged to it, that she forgot all about crying.
She ran to the cat, and went down on her knees on the carpet to
stroke him.
“He is called Patrick,” said Aunt Euphemia; “take care that he
does not scratch you.”
But Patrick did not mean to scratch. He rubbed his big yellow
face against Peggy in the most friendly way, and then walked to the
tea-table and jumped up on a chair and mewed twice, very loudly,
exactly as if he were asking for his tea.
“Patrick is very punctual,” said Aunt Euphemia.
 She poured out a saucer of milk for him, and put it on the floor.
Peggy sat down on the carpet to watch him take it. His little red
tongue was so rough and funny, she laughed out aloud at seeing it
dart in and out of the milk. Patrick never paused for a minute till he
had licked the saucer so dry that you would have thought it had been
washed. Then he licked his long, yellow whiskers, and walked away
to the other end of the room, jumped on to the sofa, and was fast
asleep in a minute. Peggy wanted to waken him, and make him play
with her; but Aunt Euphemia wouldn’t allow her. As her own tea was
brought in at that moment, however, she became interested in it.
Martin came in with Peggy’s pinafore, and glanced at the tea-tray
while she put it on. “I’ll just bring a kitchen cup for Miss Peggy,” she
said, adding aside to Aunt Euphemia, “She’s an awfu’ breaker!”
Peggy blushed hotly. She knew that she often broke things, but it
was horrid of Martin to remind Aunt Euphemia of it just then. She had
wanted to take tea out of one of those nice cups with the roses on
them; it wouldn’t taste a bit nice out of a kitchen cup. But it was of no
use to object. Martin always had her way, so the kitchen cup was
brought, and an ugly kitchen plate also. It was wonderful how good
tea tasted after all, and the strange bread had a nice salt taste, and
the strawberry jam was different too. Altogether, Peggy enjoyed tea
very much.
When it was done, she went across to the sofa to see what
Patrick was doing. He opened his green eyes, and looked at her
sleepily. One of his paws was lying out on the cushion. Peggy took it
up in her hand and felt the funny little pads of black skin on his feet.
She knew, because she had a cat at home, that if you give a cat’s
paw ever such a tiny squeeze with your hand, its claws pop out from
between the little pads of black skin. She had sometimes done it to
old Tuffy at home; so she gave Patrick’s paw the tiniest squeeze
possible, just to see the claws slide out from their sheaths. But
instead of receiving this in Tuffy’s kind way, Patrick put out his paw in
a furious rage at her, and buried all his claws in her arm. Oh, what a
howl Peggy gave, and what long, red scratches appeared down her
arm! Then Patrick jumped down from his pillow with an angry fizz,
and walked out of the room.
 Aunt Euphemia rang the bell without a word.
“Martin,” she said, “put Miss Peggy to bed; she has been teasing
Patrick!”
And Peggy, sobbing with pain, went off to bed.
 CHAPTER II.
THE WASPS.

ou will not have read even as much as this without

finding out that Peggy was always getting into trouble.
And indeed it was her nature to do so, poor dear,
though it seldom was through any serious fault on her
part. The first evening of her visit to Seafield had
ended in this fight with Patrick, and the next morning
something much worse happened. I must tell you all about it.
The sun was shining very brightly next morning, and Peggy felt
as happy as possible. On the way downstairs she met Patrick; and
because she was very sweet-tempered and forgiving, she sat down
on the top step at once, and held out her hand to him—a little warily,
of course.
She was delighted to see that Patrick, too, wanted to be on
friendly terms. He came and rubbed his head against her and
purred. So they made it up, and Peggy ran downstairs.
“May I play in the garden, auntie?” she asked at breakfast.
Aunt Euphemia considered for a moment. “Yes, if you do not
leave the garden, and do not tread upon the flower-beds, or gather
the flowers,” she answered at last.
Peggy did not much mind these regulations. It looked so
delightful out there in the sunshine that she wanted nothing else. So
when breakfast was over, she ran out and began to wander about,
looking at all the new things—quite new most of them were to her.
Different flowers grew here from those that filled the garden at home,
and they were so nice to smell, even if she might not pick them. In
one corner grew a bush of a great feathery shrub that she had never
seen before. She walked round and round it, and longed to have one
of the long feathery switches for a wand, such as fairies use.
 Just as she was thinking how much she would like this, a young
man came across the lawn with the mowing-machine. He looked
good-natured, Peggy thought, and she wondered if she might ask
him about the wand. She did not know his name, however, and felt a
little shy. She stood still, with her finger in her mouth (a bad habit she
had), and watched him while he poured oil into the little holes of the
mowing-machine. Then she summoned up courage to speak to him.
“Man,” she said, in a very shy voice—“man, I would like one of
these branches for a fairy-wand; do you think I might have one?”
She pointed to the bush.
He looked up with a grunt and a laugh, flung down the oil-can,
and drew a big clasp-knife out of his pocket. “One o’ thae yins?” he
asked in a kind voice.
She nodded, and pointed to the branch she specially desired.
“What’s your name, please?” she asked.
“James, missie,” he said, hacking away at the branch while he
spoke, and in a minute he handed her the lovely long spray she had
wanted.
Oh, what a wand it was!—longer a great deal than herself, and so
supple that it bent just like a whip.
“See here, missie,” said James; “ye’ll no can manage it that way;
I’ll peel it to ye.” He took the branch and began peeling off the outer
skin till it showed a satin-like white wood.
“Oh, let me peel!” cried Peggy; and together they peeled away till
the branch was bare—all except a beautiful bunch like a green tassel
at the tip.
With this in her hand, Peggy walked away across the lawn, and
you may fancy how delightful it was. She pretended she was a fairy
queen, and a touch of her wand would do whatever she chose. She
walked about muttering charms to the flowers, and then saw her
friend Patrick lying on a bank. She graciously extended the tip of her
wand to him, and he played with it for a minute quite like a kitten.
 But then it struck her that she
would walk round the house. And
outside one of the windows she saw
the funniest thing hanging. It looked
like a little bottle made of flimsy gray
paper. She wondered what it could
possibly be; and standing right under
it, she poked up her hand and tickled
the mouth of the gray-paper bottle.
The next moment, she heard a terrible
buzzing noise, and a cloud of wasps
came flying down upon her. Peggy
never knew what she did. Down went
the wand, and she screamed aloud, for
the wasps were stinging her all over
her hands and face. The next moment
James came running up the bank to her. He caught her up in his
arms and ran across the lawn. They both seemed surrounded and
followed by the wasps, and a new sting came on poor Peggy’s face
or neck every moment. There was a gate in the garden wall, and
James ran to the gate, opened it, and crossed the road. The next
minute Peggy saw that he was wading into the sea with her and
dipping her under the water.
The wasps fell away in the distance, an angry, buzzing, black
cloud; and poor Peggy, more dead than alive, found herself being
carried back to the house, all her clothes dripping with the salt water.
James was dripping too, and moving his head in a queer way as if
his neck hurt him.
 CHAPTER III.
THE DOCTOR.

hough it was only ten o’clock in the morning,

Peggy was glad enough to be put to bed at
once when she got back to the house. Martin
and Aunt Euphemia rubbed all her stings with
washing-blue and earth, and after that the
worst of the pain went out of them. But how
Peggy’s head did begin to ache! Then she got
sleepy, and had funny dreams, and woke up
crying, and couldn’t eat the nice dinner Martin brought up to her.
Martin was quite kind too, and tried to get her to eat; but it was no
use—she did not want anything. It was very hot too—oh, so hot,
Peggy couldn’t lie still, and tumbled about in bed. At last, just when
she was so hot that she sat up to see if that would make her cooler,
Aunt Euphemia came in, bringing with her a strange man, who laid
Peggy down on the pillows again, and took hold of her wrist with one
hand, while he held his watch in the other.
“This is the doctor, Peggy,” said Aunt Euphemia in explanation.
“Do the stings hurt you still, Peggy?” he asked, pulling up her
sleeves to look at the marks on her arm. But Peggy scarcely knew
what hurt her most, her head was so sore, and she felt so sick.
“I am going to make you quite well,” the doctor said; “but you
must take something nasty first.”
He looked at Peggy and laughed.
Aunt Euphemia looked very stern. “I will make her take it!” she
said.
“Oh, Peggy is too good to need to be made to take things, I’m
sure,” said the doctor.
Peggy sat up suddenly in bed.
 “If you give it to me quick,” she said to the doctor, “I’ll take it!”
“Very well; here it is,” he said, shaking a powder into a glass, and
holding it out to Peggy.
Aunt Euphemia expected her to taste it and declare she couldn’t
take it; but Peggy drank the medicine right off without a word, and
lay down again.
“Poor little soul! Keep her in bed to-morrow, and I fancy she will
be all right next day,” said the doctor.—“Good-night, Peggy; go to
sleep, and if you are quite well on Thursday when I come you shall
have a ride on my horse.”
These were the last words Peggy heard, and she fell asleep very
soon, and slept all night long.
It is horrid to be kept in bed when one feels quite well. Peggy
wanted to get up and go out next day, and instead, had to lie still with
nothing to amuse her. The bed she was in was of a kind you never
see nowadays, with four huge mahogany pillars supporting red
damask curtains. It was just like sleeping in a tent.
Peggy found that by sitting high up on the pillows she could see
out of the window. The sea was right in front of the house, and a little
harbour filled with ships. There was a funny noise always going on at
the harbour, and Martin told her it was the ships being loaded with
coal. In the evening, just when Peggy was very dull, she saw a ship
with great white sails come floating along. There was scarcely any
wind, so every one of the sails was up, and it looked like a big white
bird. Then, as it came near the mouth of the harbour, it stood quite
still in the water, and a little steamer went puffing out to it. A rope
was thrown to the ship, and by this rope it was towed into the
harbour. Peggy could hear the men calling out to one another and
laughing.
“Maybe, if you are good, Miss Peggy, I’ll take ye down to the
harbour one day,” said Martin.
“Might I get on to one of the ships?” Peggy asked.
 “No, no—dirty places—all coal-dust; whatever would Miss
Roberts say to that?”
“Oh, but I would like to be on a ship, and the coal-dust would do
me no harm,” pleaded Peggy.
“There’s nothing but dirty Germans on the ships, Miss Peggy—
speaking like monkeys, and rings in their ears—Spanish, and Dutch,
and Italian, some of them. No, no; it’s no place for you!”
Peggy said no more. But, would you believe it, she decided that
she must see these men with rings in their ears, who spoke like
monkeys, however she managed it. And with this thought she fell
asleep.
Dr. Seaton came on Thursday, and by that time Peggy was quite
well, and out of bed again.
“May I take her down the avenue on my horse, Miss Roberts?” he
asked of Aunt Euphemia. “I promised her that I would.”
“Oh, don’t trouble with the child,” said Aunt Euphemia. “I mean to
take her for a drive with me this afternoon.”
There was a moment’s
pause, and Peggy looked very
hard at Dr. Seaton—very hard
indeed. A drive with Aunt
Euphemia would be quite
different from a ride with him,
she thought.
“Mayn’t I take her? She shall
not get into any mischief,” he
said.
Peggy gave his hand a little squeeze to show what she felt about
it, and Aunt Euphemia consented.
Dr. Seaton’s horse was tied to a ring at the door—a high, gray
beast. It had taken a mouthful of the earwig roses, and was
munching away at them when Peggy came down the steps.
 “O horse, there are such lots of earwigs in these roses,” she said
in disgust, “I am sure they can’t be nice to eat!”
Dr. Seaton laughed, and told Peggy the horse didn’t mind the
taste of earwigs a bit. Then he lifted her up on to the shiny saddle
that made a nice creaking noise, and gave her the reins into her own
hands, while he held her on. The horse stepped away down the
avenue so obediently, just as if he were quite accustomed to having
Peggy on his back. It was delightful, being so high up, and feeling
the horse move. Peggy thought it made up for the wasps.
“I’m glad the wasps made me ill,” she said, “or I wouldn’t have
had this ride.”
At the gate they came in sight of the sea, and Peggy
remembered what Martin had told her.
“Oh, Martin told me the men on the ships talked like monkeys
and had rings in their ears,” she said, “and I want to see them.”
“Have you never been on a ship?” Dr. Seaton asked.
“No, never. The sea doesn’t come near home, you know,” Peggy
explained.
“Well, would you like to come with me some day on to one?
Would Aunt Euphemia let you? I go to see a boy with a broken arm
on one of the ships. I’ll take you, if your aunt lets you come.”
Peggy was quite sure now that it was worth while being ill. Dr.
Seaton lifted her down off the horse, and told her to run back up the
avenue.
“I’d like just to kiss the horse’s nose first,” she said. “He has been
so nice.”
But Dr. Seaton suggested it would be wiser to pat him—just in
case he were to bite; so Peggy contented herself with this, and then
ran away up the avenue as pleased as possible.
 CHAPTER IV.
THE WHITE STONES.

artin will put on your hat and jacket, Peggy,

and you will come out for a nice drive with me
at three o’clock,” said Aunt Euphemia at lunch.
This seemed a pleasant thing to do, but Peggy
did not look pleased. She sat quite still and
made no answer.
“Don’t you wish to come?” asked Aunt
Euphemia at last.
“No,” said truthful Peggy. The fact was, she
had found such a delightful new game that she
wanted to go on playing it all the rest of her life.
“What would you do if you stayed at home?” asked Aunt
Euphemia.
Peggy would not say. It spoils a game so much to explain it to
other people.
“I’d just like to stay and play in the garden,” she said.
Aunt Euphemia was not at all pleased. She thought it was
because Peggy did not love her that she refused to go out with her.
“Very well,” she said; “of course, I do not wish to take a little girl
with me who does not care for me.”
Peggy felt sorry, but she couldn’t explain; it would have spoilt
everything, you know. She stood on the steps and watched Aunt
Euphemia drive away, and then she clapped her hands, and danced
off into the garden. A flight of old stone steps led down from one part
of the garden to another; beside the steps there was a rockery, and
Peggy had found among the stones a lot of lumps of soft white chalk.