hardly suffice to satisfy their requirements. What a wonderfully
thoughtful, descriptive, and exhaustive chapter is that on "Tramps" in
_The Uncommercial Traveller!_ We believe Rochester and Strood Hill must
have been in Dickens's mind when he penned it. Every species and every
variety of tramp is herein described,--The surly Tramp, The slinking
Tramp, The well-spoken young-man Tramp, The John Anderson Tramp, Squire
Pouncerby's Tramp, The show Tramp, The educated Tramp, The tramping
Soldier, The tramping Sailor, The Tramp handicraft man, Clock-mending
Tramps, Harvest Tramps, Hopping Tramps and Spectator Tramps--but perhaps
the most amusing of all is the following:--

"The young fellows who trudge along barefoot, five
or six together, their boots slung over their
shoulders, their shabby bundles under their arms,
their sticks newly cut from some roadside wood,
are not eminently prepossessing, but are much less
objectionable. There is a tramp-fellowship among
them. They pick one another up at resting
stations, and go on in companies. They always go
at a fast swing--though they generally limp
too--and there is invariably one of the company
who has much ado to keep up with the rest. They
generally talk about horses, and any other means
of locomotion than walking: or, one of the company
relates some recent experiences of the road--which
are always disputes and difficulties. As for
example. So as I'm a standing at the pump in the
market, blest if there don't come up a Beadle, and
he ses, 'Mustn't stand here,' he ses. 'Why not?' I
ses. 'No beggars allowed in this town,' he ses.
'Who's a beggar?' I ses. 'You are,' he ses. 'Who
ever see _me_ beg? Did _you_?' I ses. 'Then you're
a tramp,' he ses. 'I'd rather be that than a
Beadle,' I ses. (The company express great
approval.) 'Would you?' he ses to me. 'Yes, I
would,' I ses to him. 'Well,' he ses, 'anyhow, get
out of this town.' 'Why, blow your little town!' I
ses, 'who wants to be in it? Wot does your dirty
little town mean by comin' and stickin' itself in
the road to anywhere? Why don't you get a shovel
and a barrer, and clear your town out o' people's
way?' (The compa