62 THE COACHING AGE. 



inside of the carriage. In such cases the footman had 

 to pay for the post-horses at the different changes, 

 the post-boys, turnpikes, and all incidental disburse- 

 ments during the journey, without troubling his 

 master. 



The innkeeper's plan of stating the distance from 

 one place to another was attended with this ad- 

 vantage, that it enabled the traveller at once to 

 ascertain the correctness of the charges made for post- 

 ing, which was always calculated by the mile. On a 

 main road there were always milestones ; the distance 

 was well known, and easily checked if any extra 

 charge were made. On cross roads, however, where 

 there were not always milestones, I fancy the post- 

 master's miles were occasionally very short — a road 

 which by actual measurement would have made only 

 ten miles being by the elasticity of the postmaster's 

 conscience extended to twelve, very much in the 

 same way as in the measurements of his liquids he 

 sold by the ' reputed pint ' or ' quart,' the one being a 

 trifle over an imperial half pint, and the other some- 

 what over the imperial pint. Be it clearly under- 

 stood, however, that I do not for a moment impute 

 dishonesty to the race of old innkeepers, for whom I 

 entertain a high degree of veneration, having every 

 reason to do so, after a somewhat lengthened personal 

 acquaintance with them. 



