d drank
their bottle of port, and those who "boxed Harry." What glorious fellows
the first seemed! What airs they gave themselves! What oaths they
swore! and what influence they had with hostlers and chambermaids! and
what a sneaking-looking set the others were! shabby in their apparel; no
fine ferocity in their countenances; no oaths in their mouths, except
such a trumpery apology for an oath as an occasional "confounded hard;"
with little or no influence at inns, scowled at by hostlers, and never
smiled at by chambermaids--and then I remembered how often I had bothered
my head in vain to account for the origin of the term "box Harry," and
how often I had in vain applied both to those who did box and to those
who did not "box Harry," for a clear and satisfactory elucidation of the
expression--and at last found myself again bothering my head as of old in
a vain attempt to account for the origin of the term "boxing Harry."

CHAPTER XXXIV

Northampton--Horse--Breaking--Snoring.

Tired at length with my vain efforts to account for the term which in my
time was so much in vogue amongst commercial gentlemen I left the little
parlour, and repaired to the common room. Mr Pritchard and Mr Bos were
still there smoking and drinking, but there was now a candle on the table
before them, for night was fast coming on. Mr Bos was giving an account
of his travels in England, sometimes in Welsh, sometimes in English, to
which Mr Pritchard was listening with the greatest attention,
occasionally putting in a "see there now," and "what a fine thing it is
to have gone about." After some time Mr Bos exclaimed:

"I think, upon the whole, of all the places I have seen in England I like
Northampton best."

"I suppose," said I, "you found the men of Northampton good-tempered,
jovial fellows?"

"Can't say I did," said Mr Bos; "they are all shoe-makers, and of course
quarrelsome and contradictory, for where was there ever a shoemaker who
was not conceited and easily riled? No, I have little to say in favour
of Northampton as far as the men are concerned. It's not the men but the
women that make me speak in praise of Northampton. The men all are
ill-tempered, but the women quite the contrary. I never saw such a place
for merched anladd as Northampton. I was a great favourite with them,
and could tell you such tales."

And then Mr Bos, putting his hat rather on one side of his head, told us
two or three tales of his advent