ide. (_Laboriously, to CULCHARD, who tries to conceal his
chagrin._) 'Ow menni time you employ to go since Coire at here? (C.
_nods with vague encouragement_.) Vich manners of vezzer you vere
possess troo your travels--mosh ommerella? (C.'s _eyes grow vacant_.)
Ha, I _tink_ it vood! Zis day ze vicket root sall 'ave plenti 'orse
to pull, &c., &c. (_Here PODBURY comes up, and puts some rugs the_
coupe _of the diligence._) You sit at ze beginning-end, hey? better,
you tink, zan ze mizzle? I too, zen, sall ride at ze front--we vill
spika Ingelis, altro!

_Podb._ (_overhearing this, with horror_). One minute, CULCHARD. (_He
draws him aside._) I say, for goodness' sake, don't let's have that
old organ-grinding Johnny in the _coupe_ with _us_!

_Culch._ Organ-grinder! you are so _very_ insular! For anything you
can tell, he may be a decayed nobleman.

_Pod._ (_coarsely_). Well, let him decay somewhere else, that's all!
Just tell the Conductor to shove him in the _interieur_, do, while I
nip in the _coupe_ and keep our places.

[Illustration: "An elderly Englishwoman is sitting on her trunk."]

[_CULCHARD, on reflection, adopts this suggestion, and the
Italian Gentleman, after fluttering feebly about the_ coupe
_door, is unceremoniously bundled by the Conductor into the
hinder part of the diligence._

_IN THE BERNARDINO PASS, DURING THE ASCENT._

_Culch._ Glorious view one gets at each fresh turn of the road,
PODBURY! Look at Hinter-rhein, far down below there, like a toy
village, and that vast desolate valley, with the grey river rushing
through it, and the green glacier at the end, and these awful
snow-covered peaks all round--_look_, man!

_Podb._ I'm looking, old chap. It's all there, right enough!

_Culch._ (_vexed_). It doesn't seem to be making any particular
impression on you, I must say!

_Podb._ It's making me deuced peckish, I know that--how about lunch,
eh!

_Culch._ (_pained_). We are going through scenery like this, and all
you think of is--lunch! (_PODBURY opens a basket._) You may give me
one of those sandwiches. What made you get _veal_? and the bread's
all crust, too! Thanks, I'll take some claret.... (_They lunch; the
vehicle meanwhile toils up to the head of the Pass._) Dear me, we're
at the top already! These rocks shut out the valley altogether--much
colder at this height, eh? Don't you find this keen air most
exhilarating?

_Podb._ (_shivering_). Oh very, do you mind puttin