SHORT STAGES. 65 



error. When many miles out of town they have had the 

 mortification of learning - they have gone by a wrong 

 coach.' What a blow the exceedingly fat gentleman 

 must have experienced when, having given strict orders 

 to his man to take him two seats, he found that one was 

 booked outside and one in ! 



' The mistakes and blunders which are sometimes 

 committed by travellers generally arise from the want of 

 proper attention on the part of the book-keepers and 

 porters, who are generally very sparing in their infor- 

 mation.' A ludicrous occurrence, writes Jehu, once 

 happened to a friend of mine who was extremely near- 

 sighted. This gentleman was dining on the road, and on 

 resuming his journey happened to get into a wrong coach 

 and was carried about twenty miles out of his way before 

 he discovered his mistake. As soon, however, as it was 

 discovered, he observed to the coachman, that as his lug- 

 gage which was travelling by the other coach was labelled, 

 he supposed it would go safe ; upon which coachee replied 

 there was no doubt of it, and that if he had been labelled 

 he would have eone sa f e a ] so J ' 



It must be remembered that the period during which 

 the short stages ran in and about London preceded the 

 introduction of omnibuses. On this subject the following 

 statement by an old hand may have some interest. ' I 

 ought to know,' he says, ' something about 'buses and 

 'busmen ; for I have been on the journey ever since I 

 was the height of your walking-stick. When I was a 

 little chap I used to sleep among the parcels in the boot 



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