THE BATH ROAD 29 



unfortunate Abbot. What is more to the purpose 

 however is that here the Flying Machines of the early 

 days of coaching inncd, as they called it, after the 

 first of their three days' journey to Bath, and the coaches 

 of the palmy days changed horses. The great Western 

 Hotel now reigns of course instead of the Bear, the 

 Crown, and the George ; but it was at the latter signs 

 that the passengers in the Flying Machines rested their 

 jolted limbs on the sheets smelling of lavender that we 

 have read of, and their more hurried descendants had 

 just time to drink the great drink of a tumbler of fresh 

 milk, one fair lump of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of rum, 

 and just a thought of nutmeg grating on the top of all, 

 a trifle that could be tossed off in a minute, and, so far 

 as I can read, was perpetually so being tossed off, before 

 the guard applied *' the yard of tin " to his lips and the 

 four fresh horses whirled them off to Newbury. 



I have said that the Bath Road has appealed to me 

 as being more particularly the literary road than any of 

 the other five great thoroughfares out of London. The 

 next thirteen miles out of Reading go to bear out this 

 view. They teem with literary and romantic recollections. 

 Two miles out of Reading and on the right of the road 

 is Calcott House, once the seat of the Berkshire Lady. 

 In the pleasant park which lies in front of the square, 

 formal-looking old house, the beautiful Miss Kendrick, 

 the rich, the whimsical, confronted Benjamin Child, 

 Esq., Barrister-at-law — masked, rapier in hand, and 

 under the pale moonlight. The lady had refused 

 numberless offers of marriage made in clue form. Due 

 forms however were her aversion, and so seem men to 

 have been,, till one fine day, when 



" Being at a noble wedding 



In the famous town of Reading, 

 A young gentleman she saw 

 Who belonged to the law." 



In fact Benjamin Child, Esq. To him the lady sends a 

 challenge unbeknownst, as Mrs. Gamp would say, to 



