A SCRATCH TEAM AT ROME. 173 



It's getting a little dusky like, and I propose to light 

 the lamps before we start. I am, however, over- 

 ruled, and am persuaded that there will be plenty 

 of time to get to Market Harborough before this will 

 be necessary, as the night will not be very dark. 

 My coachman, whom I had left at Lamport to look 

 after my own horses when I arrived from the course, 

 informed me, in a very lushy tone of voice, that 

 the little mare was so lame that she could not by any 

 means get home, and that I must drive one of my 

 own wheelers instead. This I did, and lucky it was 

 that I had him to fall back upon, for I am persuaded 

 that had the little mare been fit to go I should, from 

 the darkness of the night and her not holding an 

 ounce, never have got home at all. The road was 

 also a strange one to me, and had I not had my 

 friend sitting on the box with me, and telling me 

 when I was coming to a hill, I firmly believe we 

 should have come to grief, and, as the French postilion 

 said, it would have been a case of " Roulez, roulez, 

 ma diligence, et nous voila sur le don chemin" We 

 had tried to light the lamps on the road, as the 

 sky had got overcast and it was darker than we 

 expected, but no power could get them to burn. 

 My drunken scoundrel of a coachman had never 



