412 THE COACHING AGE. 



at the houses, receiving the amount of carriage and 

 porterage, for which he gave a small ticket, speci- 

 fying the inn from which it had come, and some 

 other particulars ; so that, in fact, these tickets formed 

 a sort of advertisement for the proprietors. The 

 morning-delivery being over, and the men returned 

 with the carts and money received, which was handed 

 in to the clerk in the booking-office, the porters had 

 not much more to do until the hour approached 

 when one of the night-coaches had" to be loaded ; and 

 as some of these left London as early as three o'clock 

 in the afternoon, the interval between the termina- 

 tion of the morning work and commencement of the 

 afternoon was not very long. 



As the afternoon advanced the work got brisker, 

 for from one of the large inns three or four coaches 

 might be leaving the yard at the same time, if there 

 was room for them ; or if not, shortly after each 

 other. 



One of the dodges by which a porter used to earn 

 some extra shillings was, as soon as a coach was 

 drawn into the yard, or, if it had stood there all day, 

 just before the time for loading arrived, and before 

 the passengers came, to put his own coat on the 

 box-seat ; when those who were not up to it, seeing 

 a coat on the seat supposed it was engaged, and 

 put their own coats elsewhere ; but anyone ac- 



