126 THE COACHING ERA 



despatch, it was not sufficient; but, in winter, several 

 precious minutes had to be wasted taking off sodden 

 coats or thawing fingers so numb that they refused to 

 hold knives and forks, and etiquette forbade even "out- 

 siders" to use their fingers. 



The dinners provided at the different inns varied in 

 quality, but were, as a rule, good, and the tables were 

 spread with a profusion of dainties calculated to make a 

 hungry man's mouth water. Waiters rushed frantically 

 about carrying hot dishes and hot drinks, whilst travellers 

 with their mouths full, and their eyes on the clock, 

 cursed them freely for being so slow. If the soup was 

 hot, and some innkeepers were darkly suspefted of 

 making it so on purpose, the passengers burnt their 

 mouths trying to swallow it, being in deadly fear they 

 would not have time to get to the meat course. 



Alas, long before they had tasted half the good things, 

 the guard would appear with the hated announcement : 

 "Coach is ready, ladies and gentlemen." Passengers, 

 grumbling darkly but aware of their own impotence, and 

 the knowledge that if they were not in their places when 

 the coach started they would most assuredly be left 

 behind, sought desperately in their pockets for half- 

 crowns and sixpences to appease the waiters; hurried 

 into their greatcoats, and remounted the coach with 

 their hunger only half appeased. 



Here is a contemporary account of a coach dinner: 



"Stay dinner here, sir — fifteen minutes allowed — two 

 of them gone already — Dinner's on the table, here's the 

 beef, sir." 



