then, my jewel," said the waggish Hibernian, "for overloading a mule." "Do we take _the whole_ of you to-day, sir?" said coachee, assisting to push him in. "What do you mean by _the whole_? I am only one man." "A master tailor," said coachee, aside, "he must be then, with the _pickings_ of nine poor journeymen in his paunch." "Ish tere any room outshide te coach?" bawled out a black-headed little Israelite; "ve shall be all shmotered vithin, ~279~~tish hot day; here are too peepels inshite, vat each might fill a coach by temselves." "All right--all right; take care of your heads, gemmen, going under the gateway; give the bearing rein of the near leader one twist more, and pole up the off wheeler a link or two. All right, Tom--all right--stand away from the horses' heads, there--ehewt, fee'e't!"--smack goes the whip, and away goes the Brighton Times like a Congreve rocket, filled with all manner of combustibles. The box-seat has one considerable advantage--it exempts you from the inquisitive and oftentimes impertinent conversation of a mixed group of stage-coach passengers; in addition to which, if you are fond of driving, a foible of mine, I confess, it affords an opportunity for an extra lesson on the noble art of _handling the ribbons_, and at the same time puts you in possession of all the topographical, descriptive, and anecdotal matter relative to the resident gentry and the road. The first two miles from the place of starting is generally occupied in clearing obstructions on the road, taking up old maids at their own houses, with pug-dogs, pattens, and parrots, or pert young misses at their papas' shop-doors; whose mammas take this opportunity of delaying a coach-load of people to display their maternal tenderness at parting, while the junior branches of the family hover round the vehicle, and assail your ears with lisping out their eternal "good b'yes," and the old hairless head of the family is seen slyly _tipping_ coachee an extra shilling to take care of his darling girl. The Elephant and Castle produces another _pull-up_, and here a branch-coach brings a load of lumber from the city, which, while the porter is stowing away, gives time to exhibit the _lions_ who are leaving London in every direction. King's Bench rulers with needy habiliments, and lingering looks, sighing for term-time and ~280~~a _horse_,{1} on one side the road, and Jews, newsmen, and _touters_, on the other; who nearly _give away_ their goods, if you believe them, for the good of the nation, or force you into a coach travelling in direct opposition to the road for which you have been booked, and in which your luggage may by such mischance happily precede you at least half a day. At length all again is declared right, the supervisor delivers his _way-bill_, and forward moves the coach, at a somewhat brisker pace, to Kennington Common. I shall not detain my readers here with a long dull account of the unfortunate