THE GROOM 125 



elbow ; while Tom Tinker, Mr. Loosefish's young man, 

 gives a quick snatch, when he is just upon you, as 

 though he hardly thought you worth a salute at all. 

 We have observed that servants whose places are 

 tottering become singularly assiduous in the matter of 

 the "felt," and we have even known Grooms out of 

 place subsisting entirely upon the precarious income 

 derived from touching theirs. 



Grooms are about the only servants upon whom 

 masters can form anything like an accurate opinion, 

 and it would be well for them to remember that fact. 

 The communication between masters and all other 

 servants is so slight, and occurs at such stated and 

 expected periods, that it would be odd if they could 

 not raise sufficient manners to pass muster ; but 

 Grooms — stable-servants in general — have the "eyes 

 of England " upon them, as " hard-up " orators say. 

 Not only is the private eye of England (the masters) 

 upon them, but the real public eye of the world at 

 large. 



Every Groom, who enters the hunting field — every 

 Groom, as he passes along the street — rides as it were 

 upon his character. His horse and himself show what 

 he is. 



There are two things we make it a rule never to 

 keep, a drunken servant and an oil lamp ; and we go 

 upon much the same principle in both cases, namely, 

 that the servant is sure to be drunk, and the oil lamp 

 to go out, when we want them. Drunkenness is an 

 inexcusable vice in any servant — least of all in a 

 servant entrusted with horses ; yet how many fat, 

 comfortable-looking old ladies we see getting into their 

 carriages in the country, to be whisked home by 

 fellows who have been boozing in the tap-room all day, 

 and whose fine cutting and tearing earns them the 

 reputation of " excellent coachmen.'' Women think 

 of nothing but going fast. If they are fast driven they 

 think they are well driven. That, however, appertains 



