CUSTOM OF AN AFTERNOON. 195 



there when in town. Mrs. Farrance was always 

 stylishly dressed, and a thorough, woman of business, 

 attending to the hotel in every department. No lady 

 or gentleman ever went there without being first 

 interviewed by her, and everything that she wished 

 to know ascertained — who the visitors were, and how 

 long they were to stay. I don't believe Mr. Farrance 

 ever attended to a visitor or, indeed, saw one from 

 one week's end to another. 



I should think, in fact, few men have led a more 

 careful, regular, and useless life than he did. He was 

 not an early riser, and when up did nothing but read 

 the papers and smoke. After dinner he would retire 

 to his cellar, which he called his counting-house, and 

 would there receive any company that visited him. 

 Yet, as a wit would say, he was not afraid of 

 work, for his ' custom always of an afternoon ' was 

 to go to sleep ; being a believer in the doctrine of 

 Garacole, who taught, ' after a good dinner a good 

 sleep, and after a bad dinner no work.' It was in 

 this sanctum that we used to meet, and over his 

 excellent Scotch whisky and a good cigar, he would 

 relate a few anecdotes that were notable for their 

 brevity. On other occasions he kept a silent tongue, 

 perhaps like the sailor's parrot, to induce people to 

 conclude he was ' such a stunner to think.' He pro- 

 fessed to know nothing about racing, and I suspect 

 that in so professing he was right. He never in my pre- 

 sence made a single suggestion as to anything that he 



