BOB 133 



to the scions of affluent families as they had been to 

 delighted and ingenuous youth, when asking permission 

 to sit by his side. He had always a good-natured smile 

 on his lips, and a merry twinkle in his eye, when he saw 

 any of them, and some quaint saying — for Bob was 

 a good mimi(;, and a wit in his way — which generally 

 elicited a hearty laugh, and as hearty a shake of the 

 hand. Bob, also, so conducted himself as at all times to 

 command the respect of his inferiors ; and he really was 

 what Falstaif intimated to Prince Henry — " Bob Walker 

 with my familiars, Robert with my brothers and sisters, 

 and Mr. Walker with all England." 



The deferential " good-night " of the horse-keeper 

 when drawino; the last of the four cloths from the 

 near wheel-horse at Southery — " Good-night, Mr. Walker, 

 sir" ; Bob's lively chirrup to his prads, and " Good-night, 

 Brown, boy," in reply- — always called forth a smile from 

 his companions, and Avill be remembered in conjunction 

 with the Lynn coach by some of us as long as memory 

 lasts. 



With this member of the profession, then, it was 

 mv interest and my inclination — for he was a good- 

 tempered man — to be on the best of terms ; and I think 

 I may say that during the five-and-twenty years we 

 drove together we never had an angry word. 



He had complained to me how irksome his time was at 

 Ely — indeed, he would frequently ride on to Cambridge 

 on purpose to converse with me about it ; and one day he 

 ventured to ask me if I should like to drive double. 

 Upon further explanation, T found it was his wish to 

 drive from Lynn to Cambridge and back in the day, 



