400 THE COACHING AGE. 



A few days afterwards he met the gentleman, and 

 told him how he had made free with his barrels, 

 when he quite coincided in the prudence of the step 

 he had taken, but added, ' Why in the world didn't 

 you take some more V 



Baskets of fish, turkeys, game, and other presents, 

 poured in upon this gentleman in the same proportion 

 as the oyster-barrels, but the guard did not levy any 

 contribution on these. 



Being a good bugle-player, he was put on the 

 Cheltenham " Eival ' at a time when it was not 

 doing very well, with a view to rendering it more 

 attractive, and in a certain way making it better 

 known, as the sound of the bugle, when the coach 

 passed through each town on its journey, drew the 

 attention of the inhabitants to it, while otherwise it 

 might have passed quietly through the town quite 

 unheeded. 



The incomes of coachmen and guards were best 

 known to themselves, but that they were in numer- 

 ous instances handsome is beyond all doubt, and 

 much in excess of those of many of the middle- 

 ground proprietors. Half, and frequently whole, 

 sovereigns as fees from noblemen, gentlemen, 

 bankers, and merchants, and a class of passengers 

 who could afford to pay well, together with short pas- 

 sengers' fares and business commissions, with perhaps 



