24 THE EXHILARATIONS OF THE ROAD 



and sit about the hotels and glare at each other. 

 The men look bored, the women look tired, and all 

 seem to sigh, "O Ix>rd! what shall we do to be 

 happy and not be vulgar?" Quite different from 

 our British cousins across the water, who hare 

 plenty of amusement and hilarity, spending most 

 of the time at their watering-places in the open air, 

 strolling, picnicking, boating, climbing, briskly 

 walking, apparently with little fear of sun-tan or of 

 compromising their "gentility." 



It is indeed astonishing with what ease and hilar- 

 ity the English walk. To an American it seems a 

 kind of infatuation. When Dickens was in this 

 country, I imagine the aspirants to the honor of a 

 walk with him were not numerous. In a pedestrian 

 tour of England by an American, I read that, " after 

 breakfast with the Independent minister, he walked 

 with us for six miles out of town upon our road. 

 Three little boys and girls, the youngest six years 

 old, also accompanied us. They were romping and 

 rambling about all the while, and their morning 

 walk must have been as much as fifteen miles; but 

 they thought nothing of it, and when we parted 

 were apparently as fresh as when they started, and 

 very loath to return." 



I fear, also, the American is becoming disquali- 

 fied for the manly art of walking by a falling off in 

 the size of his foot. He cherishes and cultivates 

 this part of his anatomy, and apparently thinks his 



