CHAPTER VII 



A trip to Ascot Races, succeeded l)y an inquiry into the systems and methods of 

 travelling, from the earliest ages to tlie golden age of the road in England. 



On the morning; following his arrival in town, Frank Raby 

 received the following letter from hi-s friend, Sir John 

 Inkleton : — 



' Stevens's Hotel, Bond Street, June. 



' Dear Frank, — 



' I arrived in town last night, and hope to see you here to 

 dinner to-morrow at six o'clock. It is of no use asking the old 

 one ; he is no company for you and me, for he once told me 

 he could not live with men " whose talk was of bullocks." I 

 twigged what he meant. However, he is not a bad sort of 

 fellow at bottom ; and all the harm I wish him is, that he were 

 safely landed in heaven, and you had his money. I think you 

 would make a better use of it than he does, with his antics, as 

 old Dick says. I shall ask Jack Webber to meet you, and we 

 will have some coachino; talk. The nag-s are all in town — two 

 rare teams, and two rest horses — ten in all ; they will be quite 

 ready for Ascot on Tuesday, when you shall have a seat on 

 the box. 



' Believe me, yours ever, 



' John Inkleton. 



' P.S. — I saw Jack Bailey to-day, who spoke of you. By 

 the bye, they were all well at the Abbey when I left home, 

 Andrew making the agreeable to old and young, especially to 

 the Chapmans, but I think Egerton has nailed the youngest, 

 and the eldest won't do at any price. Andrew is an out-and-out 

 slow one, except at Latin, Greek, and the Fathers ; and there, 

 Egerton says, he is not easy to beat.' 



The hour of six being arrived — there were no eight or nine 

 o'clock dinners in those days — Sir John, his friend Jack 

 Webber, a great amateur coachman, Frank Raby, and Hargrave, 



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