ever, I think I see into it, and if I had not to drive this
afternoon, I would have a turn with the old fellow and soon serve him
out.' 'I will fight him now for a guinea,' said the other coachman, half
taking off his coat; observing, however, that the elderly individual made
a motion towards him, he hitched it upon his shoulder again, and added,
'that is, if he had not been fighting already, but as it is, I am above
taking an advantage, especially of such a poor old creature as that.'
And when he had said this, he looked around him, and there was a feeble
titter of approbation from two or three of the craven crew, who were in
the habit of currying favour with the coachmen. The elderly individual
looked for a moment at these last, and then said: 'To such fellows as you
I have nothing to say;' then turning to the coachmen, 'and as for you,'
he said, 'ye cowardly bullies, I have but one word, which is, that your
reign upon the roads is nearly over, and that a time is coming when ye
will be no longer wanted or employed in your present capacity, when ye
will either have to drive dung-carts, assist as ostlers at village
ale-houses, or rot in the workhouse.' Then putting on his coat and hat,
and taking up his bundle, not forgetting his meerschaum, and the rest of
his smoking apparatus, he departed on his way. Filled with curiosity, I
followed him.

'I am quite astonished that you should be able to use your hands in the
way you have done,' said I, as I walked with this individual in the
direction in which he was bound.

'I will tell you how I became able to do so,' said the elderly
individual, proceeding to fill and light his pipe as he walked along.
'My father was a journeyman engraver, who lived in a very riotous
neighbourhood in the outskirts of London. Wishing to give me something
of an education, he sent me to a day-school, two or three streets distant
from where we lived, and there, being rather a puny boy, I suffered much
persecution from my school-fellows, who were a very blackguard set. One
day, as I was running home, with one of my tormentors pursuing me, old
Sergeant Broughton, {161} the retired fighting-man, seized me by the
arm--'

'Dear me,' said I; 'has it ever been your luck to be acquainted with
Sergeant Broughton?'

'You may well call it luck,' said the elderly individual; 'but for him I
should never have been able to make my way through the world. He lived
only four doors from our house; so, as I