for he
was much offended at that vague and ungrammatical remark applicable to
his horsemanship, that "he did not look like it."

"Close!" said the traveller, laughing; "an old traveller, I reckon."

The parson made no reply, but he took up his shovel-hat, and, with a bow
more majestic than the previous one, walked out to see if his pad had
finished her corn.

The animal had indeed finished all the corn afforded to her, which was
not much, and in a few minutes more Mr. Dale resumed his journey. He had
performed about three miles, when the sound of wheels behind him made
him turn his head; and he perceived a chaise driven very fast, while out
of the windows thereof dangled strangely a pair of human legs. The pad
began to curvet as the post-horses rattled behind, and the parson had
only an indistinct vision of a human face supplanting those human legs.
The traveller peered out at him as he whirled by,--saw Mr. Dale tossed
up and down on the saddle, and cried out, "How's the leather?"

"Leather!" soliloquized the parson, as the pad recomposed herself, "what
does he mean by that? Leather! a very vulgar man. But I got rid of him
cleverly."

Mr. Dale arrived without further adventure at Lansmere. He put up at
the principal inn, refreshed himself by a general ablution, and sat down
with good appetite to his beefsteak and pint of port.

The parson was a better judge of the physiognomy of man than that of the
horse; and after a satisfactory glance at the civil smirking landlord,
who removed the cover and set on the wine, he ventured on an attempt at
conversation. "Is my Lord at the Park?"

LANDLORD (still more civilly than before).--"No, sir, his Lordship and
my Lady have gone to town to meet Lord L'Estrange!"

"Lord L'Estrange! He is in England, then?"

"Why, so I heard," replied the landlord, "but we never see him here now.
I remember him a very pretty young man. Every one was fond of him and
proud of him. But what pranks be did play when he was a lad! We hoped
he would come in for our boro' some of these days, but he has taken to
foren parts,--more 's the pity. I am a reg'lar Blue, sir, as I ought to
be. The Blue candidate always does me the honour to come to the Lansmere
Arms. 'T is only the low party puts up with the Boar," added the
landlord, with a look of ineffable disgust. "I hope you like the wine,
sir?"

"Very good, and seems old."

"Bottled these eighteen years, sir. I had in the cask for the great
elec