THE YORK ROAD 297 



and told Mr. Reynardson to drive on and not look at him 

 — by him meaning Barker. 



Perhaps he hoped to escape by a quick change at the 

 inn below. But not so. Before the fresh horses had 

 been put in, entered to them Mr. Barker, not wearing 

 upon his face the most pleasant expression in the world. 

 In fact it was so unpleasant that Tom saw that it meant 

 mischief, and adopting the method prescribed by the 

 best pugilists " opened fire " at once. In point of fact he 

 remarked " Good morning, Mr. Barker, sir ! Did you 

 ever see a young gentleman take a coach steadier down 

 a hill ? " Mr. Barker showing no immediate inclination 

 or capacity for answering this question, the glib Tom 

 continued, " Ton my word, sir, he could not have done it 

 better. He's a pupil of mine, and I'm blessed if he didn't 

 do it capital ! Don't you think he did, sir, for you seed 

 him ? " 



What could the three-cornered Barker answer to this 

 appeal ? Nothing ! And this is practically what he 

 answered, muttering something about "against the rules," 

 and " don't do it again." And so Tom and Mr. Rey- 

 nardson got off very lightly from what might have been, 

 had it not been less directly handled, an awkward dilemma 

 — and Tom should have been grateful to Barker for once. 

 But his gratitude, I am sorry to say, did not take a very 

 grateful form. " Well, he was wonderful civil for him," 

 he said as soon as they got off. So far so good, but 

 now comes the fall. " But as I said before he's a cross- 

 grained, three-cornered old chap at the best of times, 

 and if I could only catch him lying drunk in the road, 

 I'd run over him and kill him, blessed if I wouldn't " — 

 and then comes the cause of so sanguinary an indigna- 

 tion — " What business had he to be walking up the 

 hill ? I suppose he thought he should catch me shoulder- 

 ing." 



And " shouldering " in the tongue of coachmen and 

 guards meant taking a fare not on the way-bill and un- 

 known to the proprietor. 



