490 THE MARGATE HOY. 



In a short time the vessel was safely moored to the pier : the arrival 

 of a hoy of passengers used formerly to constitute an event in Margate ; 

 the pier was lined with lookers on. Amid the bustle and confusion of 

 disembarking, our very small aristocratic share of passengers, exhibited 

 no ill-timed or indecent eagerness to fly from the deck : they remained 

 patiently awaiting the efflux of the bulk of the cargo ; our demy-aristo- 

 crats did the same, by imitation ; and other more remote subdivisions 

 of this species observed a tolerably temperate demeanour. Foremost in 

 the rush, strode two bagmen over the gangway, armed with ponderous 

 great coats, carpet-bags, driving whips, &c. near the gangway, stood 

 our friend the a' la mode beef ' appreteur', and his neighbour the rosy 

 publican ; their present occupation was at the same time classical, and 

 ' typical', they were taking a parting bottle of stout, which the bagmen, 

 in their rude blustering movement, knocked clean out of the hand of the 

 1 beef ' man: it fell, and was broken upon deck. Some hasty remark 

 was instantly made, and replied to ; brief time was allowed the bagman 

 for 'shrift or prayer', for the brawny restaurateur, whose passion- 

 colour'd cheek glowed with a tint, deep as the beet-root of his sallads, 

 lifting a fist and arm broad and sinewy as the ' shins and briskets' which 

 ornament his shop-window, leveled the bag-encumbered sputterer at a 

 blow, and very nearly consigned his bags and himself to the deep ; 

 this was simply by way of ' parenthesis' he ' now proceeded to argue 

 the point of ill-manners with him. 



The remaining bagman indignantly remarked upon the assault 

 talked about un-gentlemanly conduct: (!) and thence descending to his 

 more natural idiom of gross abuse, exhibited some threat of ' showing 

 fight': but, upon a closer inspection of the opposing force, it was 

 evident that the publican was also to be taken into the hostile account, 

 he already began to ' frame for work' (as the Yorkshire grazier observed, 

 who was at the time a near spectator) and, as he was clearly ' none a 

 worster', the Yorkshiremen counseled the bagmen not to ' come on'. 

 The advice did not appear to require much insisting upon, for the 

 ' travellers' beat a retreat, amid the hearty laughter and some hooting 

 from the passengers. 



And now all were dispersing, or had dispersed : no leave-taking, 

 with solitary exceptions, either brief or formal, passed among the 

 company. Each was in possession of, or had stalked off with his own 

 luggage, the dearest object of his attachment ; each made strait for his 

 ' own' inn, his ' own' home, or his ' own 1 lodging house : all and sundry, 

 save a few ministering guardians of that classic Samaritan Club, the 

 " Swell Mob", whose ideas and notions of philanthrophy were too 

 ' liberally extended' to admit of their confining their thoughts and 

 * occupations' solely to the selfish insulation of their own luggage and 

 themselves. K. K 



