4to THE COACHING AGE. 



to the parties who had been defeated, and a corre- 

 sponding triumph to those who still maintained their 

 position, and kept their coach on, especially if the 

 opposition had started with anything like a grand 

 flburish of trumpets. 



A coach-porter at Winchester, who used to load up 

 the Southampton ' Telegraph ' coach, was about to 

 lead, according to the usual phrase, to the hymeneal 

 altar a certain widow, regardless of the opinions and 

 experience of many men, including the elder Mr. 

 Weller, whose remarks to his son respecting widows 

 readers of ' Pickwick ' will probably recollect ; but 

 as they were published so many years since, it may 

 not be out of place to repeat them : 



' Widders, Sammy,' said Mr. "Weller, ' are 'ceptions 

 to every rule. I have heerd how many ord'nary 

 women one widder's equal to in pint o' comin' over 

 you. I think it's five-and-twenty, but I don't rightly 

 know vether it ain't more.' 



The coach-porter. Bishop by name, applied to the 

 clergyman to have the ceremony performed at half- 

 past seven o'clock in the morning. To this the 

 clergyman demurred, and inquired the reason of the 

 bridegroom being desirous of having it at so early 

 an hour, when he replied that he should like to get 

 it done in time for him to load the up ' Telegraph ' 

 from Southampton. 



