The Merry Past 



any fraud having been practised on his friend. Ever 

 after, however, when they came in contact, the un- 

 varied salutation was : " Well, how get on the scarlet 

 runners, eh, Tommy ? " 



A great frequenter of the " White Hart " was 

 Dick Vaughan, the driver of the Cambridge Telegraph, 

 who had an odd mixture of roughness and dry humour, 

 which made him a universal favourite. 



Dick was very outspoken. Arriving one day at the 

 " Sun " yard with his coach, a great dissenting brewer 

 and banker, who supplied the " Sun " with beer, 

 happened to be there. One of Dick's passengers, a 

 lady, chanced to be very refractory about paying for 

 some luggage. " D — n my eyes, ma'am," says Dick, 

 not in the best temper ; " I can't stand here all night 

 a-higgling." Upon which up marches the rich 

 dissenter to remonstrate. " Pray, Mr. Vaughan, don't 

 be too hard with the lady, now pray don't — pray, how 

 did you find the roads to-day, Mr. Vaughan ? " 

 " Roads ! " answered Dick, turning round to him in a 

 voice of thunder ; " why, like your beer, d — d bad. 

 Now, ma'am, I'll thank you for that three shilHngs." 



In its day, the old Telegraph was the crack coach 

 out of Cambridge, and most of its drivers were char- 

 acters. Such was, besides Dick Vaughan, Will 

 EUiot, Civil Will, who was also known as Quaker Will, 

 on account of his great contrast with Dick, which 

 could not pass unnoticed. Elliot was naturally mild 

 and taciturn ; attentive and poHte, if occasion called 

 for it ; but if otherwise, so unobtrusive that he could 

 scarce bring himself to " kick " (that is to say, stand 



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