34 ON THE TRACK OF THE MAIL-COACH 



a \Yindow flew an Imperial Calendar, marked with the 

 name or number of the room. It fell m the narrow 

 lane, at the feet of a passer-by, who speedily appeared 

 in the Secretary's office, purple with anger. 



He was shown into X's room, where Y (who was 

 the real cul]3rit) received him with gravity, and 

 deplored the occurrence, which was attributable to a 

 wild young married man (with a wife and three little 

 children), named X, who had that moment left the 

 building. Y would at once write a minute to the 

 Postmaster-General, and advise his dismissal. On 

 this the visitor relented, and protested that he would, 

 in that case, withdraw his complaint, as it would be 

 lamentable if the youthful wife and little children 

 suffered for a giddy act of the young father. Mr. X, 

 he advised, should be rebuked, and cautioned as to 

 his future conduct. A fatherly eye ought to be kept 

 upon the young and thoughtless fellow. 



At first, Y, secretly overjoyed at the turn affairs had 

 taken, professed himself reluctant to adopt this course, 

 from a high sense of public duty ; but, at length, on 

 renewed appeals, he magnanimously gave way. So 

 nothing more was heard of the unlucky shot into 

 Foster Lane, and X to this day, in his retirement, is 

 not aware of the goings-on of his satellites on that 

 eventful afternoon. 



There was another incident. 



When salaries were paid quarterly rather than 

 monthly, as at present, some of the younger men, 

 and perhaps even the older ones, became rather 



