A STAGE COACH. 223 



Charles's feelings were just in a fit state to sym- 

 pathize with this " parted husband/' but even his 

 commiseration seemed light by comparison with that 

 of the fourth passenger, whose melancholy appeared 

 to increase with the distance from London. To 

 Saville, the general disposition to silence (with the 

 exception of the Cape Town Winkle-keeper) was 

 particularly agreeable ; and while his eyes remained 

 unconsciously fixed upon the houses and hedges 

 that seemed to dance by the rapidly moving coach, 

 his thoughts remained fixed upon Harriet, while 

 amidst the measured rumble of the wheels, he fan- 

 cied he could trace the melody of the air " she loved 

 so much to sing." 



After a transient refreshment the party seemed 

 more familiarized to each other, and even Saville 

 himself condescended from his stilts and joined in 

 the conversation ; the melancholy man in the left- 

 hand corner unbent his brow, and added his mite to 

 the verbal contribution of his companions, till at 

 length the subject of lotteries was started by the 

 Winkle-keeper, who declared an opinion that nobody 

 ever got a prize. 



This statement was stoutly contradicted by the 

 melancholy man, who seemed io derive a vast rein- 

 forcement of animation from the subject : he enu- 

 merated Dukes, Members of Parliament, Hampshire 

 squires, Bloomsbury attornies, and Pall Mall pastry- 

 cooks, who had, all to his own knowledge, been 

 splendidly and suddenly enriched by the acquisition 

 of large sums. " Indeed, Sir," added he, " even I 

 myself might have been worth thirty thousand 

 pounds more than I am at this moment, by the same 

 means, if it had not been for an accidental circum- 

 stance over which I had no controul." 



^^ What might that have been? said the Winkle- 

 man, — " choosing the wrong number, perhaps ?" 



^^ Not so. Sir," said the melancholy gentleman, 

 his countenance at the same moment assuming an 

 expression rather of ^^ anger than of sorrow," — ^^ I 



