64 THE COACHING ERA 



you wouldn't ask such foolish questions." Then the 

 remembrance of Mr. Costar's advice returned to him 

 and he added bitterly: "Perhaps now you will try and 

 say I am not civil!" 



On a certain night Spooner had three inside passengers 

 in the Gloucester mail, one of them being a well-known 

 banker notorious for his meanness. At Henley the 

 coachmen were changed and Spooner asked for his fee. 

 Two of the travellers gave him a shilling apiece, but the 

 banker searched his pockets for a sixpence. Spooner, 

 to show his scorn for such a meagrely dole, jerked his 

 arm as if to throw it into the Thames. The mail had 

 just started when the banker discovered that instead of 

 sixpence he had given the coachman half a sovereign. 

 He immediately stopped the coach and demanded the 

 return of the money. 



"Well, you saw what I did with it," said Spooner, "I 

 should think it is at the bottom of the Thames by this 



time." 



The banker raved but to no purpose, and he drove off 

 declaring his intention of writing to Spooner's proprietor. 



He carried out his threat, and when Mr. Costar heard 

 the circumstances he was fully inclined to take his ser- 

 vant's part, but having an extensive knowledge of coach- 

 men in general and this one in particular he inquired, 

 with a twinkle in his eye, if Spooner had adually thrown 

 the coin into the river. 



"No, sir," he replied, "it fell into my little side pocket, 

 and I did the miserable niggardly banker." 



Spooner looked on the majority of his passengers as 



