328 STAGE-COACH AND MAIL IN DAYS OF YORE 



apprentice your shivering servant, who has been 

 vainly endeavouring to wake you for the last 

 quarter of an hour, at the imminent risk of 

 breaking either his own knuckles or the panels 

 of the door. 



" You 2^1'oceed to dress yourself Avitli all pos- 

 sible despatch. The flaring flat candle with the 

 long snuft' gives light enough to show that the 

 things you want are not where they ought to be, 

 and you undergo a trifling delay in consequence 

 of having carefully jiacked up one of your boots 

 in your over-anxiety of the preceding night. You 

 soon complete your toilet, however, for you are not 

 particular on such an occasion, and you shaved 

 yesterday evening ; so, mounting your Petersham 

 greatcoat and green travelling shawl, and grasping 

 your carpet bag in your right hand, you Avalk 

 lightly doAvnstairs, lest you should awaken any 

 of the family, and after pausing in the common 

 sitting-room for one moment, just to have a cuji 

 of cofl'ee (the said common sitting-room looking 

 remarkably comfortable, Avith everything out of its 

 jilace, and strewed with the crumbs of last night's 

 supper), you undo the chain and bolts of the street- 

 door, and find yourself fairly in the street. 



" A thaw, by all that is miserable ! The frost 

 is completely broken up. You look down the long 

 perspective of Oxford Street, the gas-lights mourn- 

 fully reflected on the wet pavement, and can 

 discern no speck in the road to encourage the 

 belief that there is a cab or a coach to be had — 

 the very coachmen .have gone home in despair. 



