The Coachmaster 



great cruelty, cruelty of a man to a child, 

 if I remember rightly. As he listened his 

 face grew very red, and then he brought 

 his fist with a great thud on the table. 

 ''Damn his heart, he ought to be shot! " 

 he roared, with the tears of rage and pity 

 in his eyes. 



If ever God made a man quite incapable 

 of remembering personal injury or unkind- 

 ness, or of paying back the like with aught 

 but kindliness, it was my Father. On one 

 occasion as he was leaving his coach at the 

 " Old Bell," he was arrested by a couple of 

 bailiffs. Upon his demanding indignantly 

 what was their business with him, they 

 replied that it was on account of a little bill 

 that had been too long owing, and that it 

 were wiser to come along quietly. 



" I don't understand you — I don't know 

 what you are talking about — I owe no one 

 a penny as far as I know ! " said my Father 

 in a great rage, and indeed he was scru- 

 pulous to a nicety about such things. 



" Fm very sorry, sir," said one of the 

 bailiffs, "but if you like we can call a 

 coach and you can come along quietly 

 enouo^h and no one will be the wiser." 



''Coach, indeed!" cried my Father. 

 " Fll ride in no coach ! If I have to go 

 I'll go openly! Come along, sir, come 

 64 



