ank many quarterns of gin to
steady her nerves before she felt able to continue her journey to
Devonport, where she carried on a prosperous trade for many years. Many
people patronised her, on purpose to hear her narrate the great event of
her life. I often used to chaff her, and hear her repeat the history of
her memorable adventure.

* * * * *

I will add a little anecdote of Bob Pointer, who was on the Oxford road.
Giving his ideas on coaching to a young gentleman who was on the box
with him, on his way to college, he said:--"Soldiers and sailors may
soon learn to fight; lawyers and parsons go to college, where they are
crammed with all sorts of nonsense that all the Nobs have read and wrote
since Adam--of course, very good if they like it--but to be a _coachman,
sir_, you must go into the stable almost before you can run alone, and
learn the nature of horses and the difference between corn and chaff.
Well can I remember, the first morning I went out with four horses; I
never slept a wink all night. I got a little flurried coming out of the
yard, and looking round on the envious chaps who were watching me--it
was as bad as getting married--at least, I should think so, never having
been in that predicament myself. I have escaped that dilemma, for," he
concluded, "when a man is always going backwards and forwards between
two points, what is the use of a wife, a coachman could never be much
more than half married. Now, if the law--in the case of
coachmen--allowed two wives, that would be quite another story, because
he could then have the tea-things set out at both ends of his journey.
Driving, sir, is very like life, it's all so smooth when you start with
the best team, so well-behaved and handsome; but get on a bit, and you
will find you have some hills to get up and down, with all sorts of
horses, as they used to give us over the middle ground. Another thing,
sir, never let your horses know you are driving them, or, like women,
they may get restive. Don't pull and haul, and stick your elbows
a-kimbo; keep your hands as though you were playing the piano; let every
horse be at work, and don't get flurried; handle their mouths lightly;
do all this, and you might even drive four young ladies without ever
ruffling their feathers or their tempers."

My readers will not, perhaps, deem it altogether an inappropriate
conclusion to this very humble little treatise, if I annex for their
a