I50 RAMBLE OVER DERBYSHIRE HILLS AND DALES 
nearest road if none of the widest. Little more than a mile then 
along Brook Bottom brought us to Tidser, as it is locally called. 
We did not waste time in looking about for the best inn; nearly 
all the houses were in darkness, and as we were strangers in the 
land, turned into the first we came to—I believe it was called the 
‘** Reindeer,” but at any rate it was an zm”, and we took prompt 
possession of the commercial room, ordering tea and meat, and 
beds. The landlord was very sorry, but he had two gentlemen 
staying there, who occupied the only beds they had to spare— 
they were going away to-morrow. Yes, and so were we, but not 
before ; we would rather sleep on the sofa and chairs, hearthrug, 
anything, than turn out again; the idea could not be entertained 
for a moment. We had tea, and some bad frizzled ham, for 
which our host, who was really a very civil and obliging fellow, 
made many apologies; but we could not touch it, hungry as we 
were, though there was nothing else in the house, and it was too 
late to procure meat elsewhere, so we filled our vacuums with 
bread and butter. The two gentlemen came in, and we sat and 
chatted and had a glass of grog together while we laughed over 
our adventure. Meantime, the landlord, by altering his family 
arrangements, had prepared a little room for us to sleep in, which 
again called forth his apologies, and not without cause, but I 
don’t think we should have refused a hay-loft! It was midnight 
before we went to roost, up a rather narrow staircase, which was 
half taken out of our bedroom; this and the two beds occupied 
nearly the whole area—indeed there was not space for us all 
to undress at once, and we laughed and joked not a little. The 
door of our room had a wooden latch with a finger-hole, and the 
ill-fitting planks of which it was made ensured a certain amount 
of ventilation ; but the two bedsteads were a much closer fit, 
head and foot they touched each other, and they also touched the 
walls at either end of the room! Two of us, without much effort, 
could reach the heads of the others by stretching out our toes, 
while they in turn could tap at the latticed window as easily with 
theirs! We soon got to sleep and slept soundly, notwithstanding 
our queer quarters. 
