2i8 THE COACHING ERA 



find it. He trod on the toes of the other passengers, 

 lurched up against them, only to be pushed off with 

 much vigour, till Matthews, with a particularly vicious 

 thrust, caused him to sit down in the fourth place. 



The aftor and his two companions all indignant 

 and aggrieved at the intrusion, pulled up their wraps 

 and once more composed themselves for sleep. This 

 was not to be, for the drover, taking hold of the window- 

 pull, demanded loudly: "Coompany! oop or down?" 



Answer made they none. 



Anxious to do the agreeable he again inquired: 

 "Coompany! oop or down?" Still no one answered. A 

 smothered oath bespoke his indignation at such dis- 

 courteous treatment, and he demanded in some ex- 

 asperation: "Dom it! I say, Coompany — oop or down?" 



The other three, seething with wrath, would not 

 deign to notice his existence, and with a "dom it," he 

 let the window remain down. The cold night air 

 rushing in made his companions shiver, but they were 

 prepared to endure any sufferings rather than speak 

 to the hated intruder. 



For a short time he was silent, then suddenly he saw 

 something which astonished him; when he entered the 

 inn early in the evening he had left a world green and 

 brown with the neutral tints of winter, now the ground 

 was white; the change struck him as miraculous and he 

 exclaimed: 



"Eh! ma God! what's this? Whoight! the whole 

 country's covered wi' snow — Eh! it's awful. Coompany — 

 wake up and see th' snow! Eh! they're all asleep. Good 



i 



