192 THE COACHING ERA 



comfort and well being: "The passengers were not 

 limited to the two-legged ones; there were four-footed 

 ones also. Sporting dogs, fancy dogs, ugly dogs, rat- 

 killing dogs, short-haired dogs, long-haired dogs, dogs 

 like muffs, dogs like mops, dogs of all colours, and of 

 all breeds and sizes, appeared thrusting out their black 

 noses from all parts of the coach. Portmanteaux were 

 piled upon the roof; gun-boxes peeped out suspiciously 

 here and there; bundles of sticks, canes, foils, fishing- 

 •ods, and whips appeared strapped together in every 

 diredlion; then all round the coach, 



'Like a swarth Indian with his belt of beads,' 



hat-boxes dangled in leathery profusion. The Oxford 

 coach, on an occasion like this, was a sight to be remem- 

 bered." 



"Are you the two houtside gents for Hoxfut?" 

 inquired the coachman in the husky voice peculiar to 

 a dram-drinker. 



Mr. Green replying in the affirmative, he and Verdant 

 took their seats on the back part of the coach. 



The undergraduates, "dressed in every variety of 

 Oxford fashion, and exhibiting a pleasing diversity of 

 Oxford manners," regarded the new-comers critically, 

 and summed them up thus: 



"Decided case of governor," said one. 



"Undoubted ditto of freshman!" commented another. 



"Looks ferociously mild in his gig-lamps," remarked 

 a third, alluding to Verdant's spedlacles. 



"And jolly green all over," wound up a fourth. 



