32 2 THE COACHING AGE. 



engaged with Post-Office work, he might render next 

 to no assistance without laying himself open to any 

 charge of neglect of duty : so, time being lost in 

 the changes, a report to the Post Office might bring 

 down an inspector on the proprietors, who, in their 

 turn, would be down on the coachman. 



It happened that while Mills was on the Bristol 

 and Liverpool mail there was a young fellow, one of 

 the guards, who made himself very offensive to him. 

 This young fellow had just started a new drab 

 overcoat, of which he thought a good deal, and did 

 not fail to show it. It struck Mills one night that 

 this would afford a good opportunity of paying him 

 off for the annoyance he had given, and if any altera- 

 tion was necessary in the harness during a stage he 

 would call to the guard, whose duty it was to get 

 down apd make it. So Mills pulled up and called to 

 this guard, who got down and came to the front in 

 the drab coat, when Mills told him to alter the near 

 wheeler's inside trace a hole. This necessitated the 

 unhooking the rusty, muddy pole-chain, rubbing 

 against the pole and horse, and pulling and tugging 

 about for some time, but all to no purpose, for the 

 buckle probably had not been out of the hole for a 

 long time ; so Mills told him to pole the horse up 

 again. Need I add that the appearance of the drab 

 coat was not improved — much to the chagrin of the 



