THE GROOM 121 



research about the country. If any one were to put the 

 following query to us : — 



" Would a master, whose Groom was late with his horse, 

 and so lost him ' the run of the season,' be justified in quilting 

 him ? " 



We should answer, — 



" Most decidedly yes — lay into the loarniint ! " 



Perhaps we might add, — 



'^Beware that lie's not too big." 



Want of punctuality attaches to both ends of the morning 

 start. There is the want of punctuality in getting away 

 from home, which entails hurrying on the road, and is more 

 common than the want of punctuality in arriving at the 

 meet. A fellow who can't get out of his bed of a morning 

 is only fit to sit in feathered breeches and hatch eggs. Some- 

 body said of a once prime minister, that he always seemed as 

 if he had lost half an hour in the morning, and was running 

 after it all the rest of the day ; and assuredly there is nothing 

 so annoying as a servant, who, for the want of the early half 

 hour, hurries and jumbles the work of two hours into one. 



To a punctual person there is something strangely self- 

 speaking, evident, and significant in the movements and 

 appearances of an unpunctual, dilatory, behindhand servant. 

 We will suppose the master shaving, at which critical period, 

 instead of seeing the stable door open, and the horse going 

 away, Tom is running about in his fustians ; then, when at 

 length he does appear booted, the saddle and bridle make 

 their appearance, and have to be put on, till at last the 

 master, in ungovernable fury, hurries on his things, vowing 

 he'll go out and lick him, when he sees Tom rushing out of the 

 stable, scrambling on to the horse, and cutting away at the 

 rate of ten miles an hour. An unpunctual man is always an 

 irregular man, he never knows where he has anything. We 

 like to see a quiet, orderly, methodical Groom, who knows 



