44 Saddle and Sirloin. 



honour on one occasion of driving "Farmer George," 

 after hunting with the Royal staghounds, from Amer- 

 sham to Windsor. To the end of his life that loyal 

 subject would do no work on the anniversary of that 

 day ; and after breakfast he repaired to the same yel- 

 low post-chaise, and sat in it till nightfall, on the side 

 where his sovereign had been. He refreshed himself 

 liberally with pots of ale, and if he took his pipe from 

 his lips at intervals, it was only to replace it with a 

 key-bugle, and play " God save the King." His mas- 

 ter humoured his fancy, and visited the post-chaise 

 with many others during the day, to see Tom indulg- 

 ing in these quaint Pleasures of Memory. 



The Gretna Green marriages were a fruitful 

 source of revenue to postboys at this period ; as 

 the fugitive lovers paid on a higher and higher 

 scale in their fervour the nearer they approached the 

 shrine, a sort of private clearing had to be estab- 

 lished, and if there was anything like a good pay- 

 ing " love job," the fees were passed down the road 

 and equalised. They were seldom better than when 

 the Prince of Capua espoused Miss Penelope Smith. 



A parlour at the Crown was the scene of a curious 

 fracas. A happy pair had arrived from Lincolnshire 

 for Gretna, and were lunching, when the father and 

 the rejected lover drove up. The latter thought that 

 the very sight of himself would be sufficient to create 

 remorse, and yet took no active part for fear of 

 " setting " the girl ; but the father promptly essayed 

 a passage of arms, first with his umbrella and then 

 with his fists, and was finally seized by the collar, 

 half throttled, and forced on to the sofa. His son- 

 in-law elect (who was about his weight, and of a 

 theatrical turn of mind) then turned the key on both 

 of them, and got a rare start with his love, more 

 especially as the old gentleman would drive to Cap- 

 tain Hebson's to try and get a summons for as- 

 sault. Somehow or other they squared matters, 



