io8 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



CHAPTER VII 



A trip to Ascot Races, succeeded by an inquiry into the systems 

 and methods of travelling, from the earliest ages to the golden 

 age of the road in England. 



OX the morning following his arrival in town, Frank 

 Raby received the following letter from his friend, 

 Sir John Inkleton : 



"STEVENS'S HOTEL, BOND STREET, June. 

 " DEAR FRANK, I arrived in town last night, and 

 hope to see you here to dinner to-morrow at six o'clock. 

 It is of no use asking the old one ; he is no company for 

 you and me, for he once told me he could not live with 

 'men 'whose talk was of bullocks.' I twigged what he 

 meant. However, he is not a bad sort of fellow at bottom ; 

 and all the harm I wish him is, that he were safely landed 

 in heaven, and you had his money. I think you would 

 make a better use of it than he does, with his antics, as old 

 Dick says. I shall ask Jack Webber to meet you, and we 

 will have some coaching talk. The nags are all in town 

 two rare teams, and two rest horses ten in all ; they 

 will be quite ready for Ascot on Tuesday, when you shall 

 have a seat on the box. Believe me, yours ever, 



" JOHN INKLETON. 



"P.S. I saw Jack Bailey to-day, who spoke of you. 

 By-the-bye, they were all well at the Abbey when I left 

 home, Andrew making the agreeable to old and young, 

 especially to the Chapmans, but I think Egerton has 

 nailed the youngest, and the eldest won't do at any price. 

 Andrew is an out-and-out slow one, except at Latin, 

 Greek, and the Fathers ; and there, Egerton says, he is 

 not easy to beat." 



The hour of six being arrived there were no eight or 

 nine o'clock dinners in those days Sir John, his friend 

 Jack Webber, a great amateur coachman, Frank Raby, and 

 Hargrave, met at Stevens's Hotel, as appointed, and sat 

 down to a dinner of the best of everything, in one of the 

 private rooms. The following was a part of their talk : 



