DONCASTER REMINISCENCES 235 



Still, it had to be done, and was worth the 

 trouble. Most striking about the procession was 

 its wonderful evenness. Now and again you did 

 find a well-got-up equipage — very few, however 

 — and here and there occupants of the swell order 

 — rare birds, indeed, not enough to count really. 

 By the dozen, the score, the hundred, came char- 

 a-bancs, wagonettes, very long-backed machines, 

 ordinary landau cabs, occasional hansoms — only 

 a sprinkling — now and then a little lot of buggies, 

 evidently cruising in company by arrangement, 

 here and there a light float sort of shallow, examples 

 of exceedingly comfortable '' lots," pair-horse open 

 flies with a very high coachman's perch and a 

 dickey for two behind. No room was wasted ; 

 very much the other way about. Three-a-side 

 in the landaus was the almost invariable rule ; 

 and as to the wagonette brake division, wonder 

 was how so many passengers could squeeze in or 

 be extracted. 



Walkers were many, too, of all sorts, from the 

 well-furnished hand who toddled for choice to the 

 financially broken-down enthusiast who took the 

 only stage within his means ; lots of good movers 

 were on, though, naturally, as they were near- 

 ing the end of a long journey, not doing many 

 miles per hour. I think that on the whole the 

 section in clogs went better than the leather- 

 shod. Between the presumably poorer, who 

 walked more or less like blazes, and the better- 

 off, riding in chaises, was little difference in get-up 

 or apparent social position. Working folk for 

 the most part, going to enjoy themselves ration- 

 ally, with money in their pockets to spend and 

 knowledge where to get more when one lot had 

 gone. The driver was as a rule quite on equal 



