28 SEA-SIDE STUDIES, 



baskets, and with belated strides hasten over ridges out of 

 harm's -vvay. Our return home brings us on to the Capstone 

 Parade, where our appearance must of course stimulate quiz- 

 zing. If that young lady with the sketch-book, who saw us 

 going out, made private reflections on the imperfect elegance 

 of our costume, I leave you to judge of the impression we 

 produce on the mind of that haughty " swell " with a tele- 

 scope, and a mustache of recent growth. He has come to 

 Ilfracombe with apparently no other object than that of set- 

 ting his mind seriously to these things : he vnW array himself 

 in a straw-hat Avith a pink ribbon, a coloured shirt, a shooting- 

 jacket never meant to shoot in, and thus arrayed he will 

 show himself and his telescope. The telescope is indispen- 

 sable. He will never use it, but he borrows from it a nautical 

 air, which is quite the right thing, you know. I wish I were 

 just enough acquainted with that young gentleman to bow 

 to him — I would do it in sight of the whole Pai'ade. As we 

 pass along, the staring excited by our incongruous appear- 

 ance of dirt, damp, and utensils, suggests ludicrous reflections 

 on the way we all judge of each other, and more serious reflec- 

 tions on the utterly foolish disposal of time which the majo- 

 rity of sea-side visitors make. 



History proves that we English are a magnificent race ; 

 but I appeal to every one whether the concrete Englishman 

 he meets abroad, or at the sea-side, in the least represents his 

 idea of that magnificent race. I'm afraid we are disacree- 

 able to the liackbone. At the coast we are all dismal as well 

 as disagreeable. What an aiv of weariness hangs over almost 

 everybody ! After the " visitors " have had their first walk 



