114 LYNN COACH 



coaches were expedited an hour, and two others had been 

 lately started to go up and down in a day. This caused 

 the old Lynn to become more in disrepute ; and I took 

 occasion to observe one evening to my London friend 

 that the time had arrived when some exertion was 

 necessary to put the Lynn coach on a more respectable 

 footing, more in accordance with the times ; for that 

 already a new coach was talked of, and a new comjDany 

 was about being formed. 



To all this he replied that the coach was very little 

 use to him. 



" Then," asked I, " why not remedy it ?" 



" Can vou ? " he said. 



I replied, " I thought I could." 



" Then go and take it in your hands, and make the 

 best you can of it." 



Upon this I took the earliest opportunity of putting 

 myself in communication with the two principal men who 

 had engaged to start the new coach — one at Lynn, the 

 other at Elv ; and it did not take much reasoninp^ to con- 

 vince them it would be better to join an old-established 

 concern than to throw away money in opposition. 



After some negotiation, which required no small 

 amount of diplomatic skill to conduct, everything was 

 arranged. The coach was to be put upon a new footing ; 

 the two new partners were to be admitted — the Lynn man 

 to have a portion of the ground vacated by the late pro- 

 prietor, the Ely one a portion of the ground belonging to 

 the Cambridge proprietor. And this proved the most 

 difficult part of my task, as the two gents were both 

 brewers, the one at Cambridge, the other at Ely, both in 



