DRIVERS AND FRONT OUTSIDE PASSENGERS--FATIGUE OF BODY AND
MIND--UNEXPECTED GREETING--MY INN--THE GOVERNOR--ENGAGEMENT
I continued my journey, passing through one or two villages. The day was
exceedingly hot, and the roads dusty. In order to cause my horse as
little fatigue as possible, and not to chafe his back, I led him by the
bridle, my doing which brought upon me a shower of remarks, jests, and
would-be witticisms from the drivers and front outside passengers of
sundry stage-coaches, which passed me in one direction or the other. In
this way I proceeded till considerably past noon, when I felt myself very
fatigued, and my horse appeared no less so; and it is probable that the
lazy and listless manner in which we were moving on tired us both much
more effectually than hurrying along at a swift trot would have done, for
I have observed that when the energies of the body are not exerted a
languor frequently comes over it. At length, arriving at a very large
building with an archway, near the entrance of a town, {141} I sat down
on what appeared to be a stepping-block, and presently experienced a
great depression of spirits. I began to ask myself whither I was going,
and what I should do with myself and the horse which I held by the
bridle? It appeared to me that I was alone in the world with the poor
animal, who looked for support to me, who knew not how to support myself.
Then the image of Isopel Berners came into my mind, and when I bethought
me how I had lost her for ever, and how happy I might have been with her
in the New World had she not deserted me, I became yet more miserable.
As I sat in this state of mind, I suddenly felt some one clap me on the
shoulder, and heard a voice say: 'Ha! comrade of the dingle, what chance
has brought you into these parts?' I turned round, and beheld a man in
the dress of a postillion, whom I instantly recognised as he to whom I
had rendered assistance on the night of the storm.
'Ah!' said I, 'is it you? I am glad to see you, for I was feeling very
lonely and melancholy.'
'Lonely and melancholy,' he replied, 'how is that? how can anyone be
lonely and melancholy with such a noble horse as that you hold by the
bridle?'
'The horse,' said I, 'is one cause of my melancholy, for I know not in
the world what to do with it.'
'Is it your own?'
'Yes,' said I, 'I may call it my own, though I borrowed the money to
purchase it.'
'Well, why don't you sell it?'
'It is not always easy to find a purchaser for a horse like this,' said
I; 'can you recommend me one?'
'I? Why, no, not exactly: but you'll find a purchaser shortly--pooh! If
you have no other cause for disquiet than that horse, cheer up, man;
don't be cast down. Have you nothing else on your mind? By-the-by,
what's become of the young woman you were keeping company with in that
queer lodging-place of yours?'
'She has left me,' said I.
'You quarrelled, I suppose?'
'No,' said I, 'we did not exactly quarrel, but we are parted.'
'Well,' replied he, 'but you will soon come together again.'
'No,' said I; 'we are parted for ever.'
'For ever! Pooh! you little know how people sometimes come together
again who think they are parted for ever. Here's something on that point
relating to myself. You remember when I told you my story in that dingle
of yours, that I mentioned a young woman, my fellow-servant when I lived
with the English family in Mumbo Jumbo's town, and how she and I, when
our foolish governors were thinking of changing their religion, agreed to
stand by each other, and be true to old Church of England, and to give
our governors warning, provided they tried to make us renegades. Well,
she and I parted soon after that, and never thought to meet again, yet we
met the other day in the fields, for she lately came to live with a great
family not far from here, and we have since agreed to marry, to take a
little farm, for we have both a trifle of money, and live together till
"death us do part." So much for parting for ever! But what do I mean by
keeping you broiling in the sun with your horse's bridle in your hand,
and you on my own ground? Do you know where you are? Why, that great
house is my inn, that is, it's my master's, the best fellow in ---. Come
along, you and your horse both will find a welcome at my inn.'
Thereupon he led the way into a large court, in which there were coaches,
chaises, and a great many people; taking my horse from me, he led it into
a nice cool stall, and fastening it to the rack, he then conducted me
into a postillion's keeping-room, which at that time chanced to be empty,
and he then fetched a pot of beer and sat down by me.
After a little conversation he asked me what I intended to do, and I told
him frankly that I did not know, whereupon he observed that, provided I
had no objection, he had little doubt that I could be accommodated for
some time at his inn. 'Our upper ostler,' said he, 'died about a week
ago; he was a clever fellow, and besides his trade understood reading and
accounts.'
'Dear me,' said I, interrupting him, 'I am not fitted for the place of
ostler--moreover, I refused the place of ostler at a public-house, which
was offered to me only a few days ago.' The postillion burst into a
laugh. 'Ostler at a public-house, indeed! Why, you would not compare a
berth at a place like that with the situation of ostler at my inn, the
first road-house in England! However, I was not thinking of the place of
ostler for you; you are, as you say, not fitted for it, at any rate, not
at a house like this. We have, moreover, the best under-ostler in all
England--old Bill, with the drawback that he is rather fond of drink. We
could make shift with him very well provided we could fall in with a man
of writing and figures, who could give an account of the hay and corn
which comes in and goes out, and wouldn't object to give a look
occasionally at the yard. Now it appears to me that you are just such a
kind of man, and if you will allow me to speak to the governor, I don't
doubt that he will gladly take you, as he feels kindly disposed towards
you from what he has heard me say concerning you.'
'And what should I do with my horse?' said I.
'The horse need give you no uneasiness,' said the postillion: 'I know he
will be welcome here both for bed and manger, and perhaps in a little
time you may find a purchaser, as a vast number of sporting people
frequent this house.' I offered two or three more objections, which the
postillion overcame with great force of argument, and the pot being
nearly empty, he drained it to the bottom drop, and then starting up,
left me alone.
In about twenty minutes he returned, accompanied by a highly intelligent
looking individual dressed in blue and black, with a particularly white
cravat, and without a hat on his head; this individual, whom I should
have mistaken for a gentleman but for the intelligence depicted in his
face, he introduced to me as the master of the inn. The master of the
inn shook me warmly by the hand, told me that he was happy to see me in
his house, and thanked me in the handsomest terms for the kindness I had
shown to his servant in the affair of the thunder-storm. Then saying
that he was informed I was out of employ, he assured me that he should be
most happy to engage me to keep his hay and corn account, and as general
superintendent of the yard, and that with respect to the horse, which he
was told I had, he begged to inform me that I was perfectly at liberty to
keep it at the inn upon the very best, until I could find a purchaser;
that with regard to wages--but he had no sooner mentioned wages than I
cut him short, saying that provided I stayed I should be most happy to
serve him for bed and board, and requested that he would allow me until
the next morning to consider of his offer; he willingly consented to my
request, and, begging that I would call for anything I pleased, left me
alone with the postillion.
I passed that night until about ten o'clock with the postillion, when he
left me, having to drive a family about ten miles across the country;
before his departure, however, I told him that I had determined to accept
the offer of his governor, as he called him. At the bottom of my heart I
was most happy that an offer had been made, which secured to myself and
the animal a comfortable retreat at a moment when I knew not whither in
the world to take myself and him.