Читать книгу The Pedestrian's Guide through North Wales. A tour performed in 1837 онлайн

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James’s tongue and the coach continued in rapid progress; and in due time we reached the Sportsman Inn at Whetstone, when the passengers had an opportunity of displaying the extraordinary effects produced by the morning air upon fasting stomachs. A lady and her daughter, who were inside passengers, did ample justice to the fare; the latter, in particular, payed away at the cold fowl and ham in a manner truly surprising. “Coach ready, ladies,” cried James; and up jumped mother and pet, with mouths full of fowl, toast, etc., which they washed down, unmasticated, with the dregs of their tea; and in a minute were again seated inside the coach, opposite to two gentlemen, one rather a corpulent man, with “spectacles on nose,” the other a gay young citizen, who was to leave us at Barnet.

The coach had not started above five minutes, before fragrant wreaths of smoke were making their escape out of the window, and delighting the outside passengers with the refreshing odour: for this we were indebted to the stout gentleman before mentioned, who having lately arrived from America, could not be expected to understand the civilized customs of travellers in England, and who inconsiderately concluded that his cigar was as agreeable to the ladies as to himself. It proved otherwise, however: the cold fowl lay uneasy, and the ham seemed to object to being smoked. This, both ladies endeavoured to intimate to their opposite neighbour, by sundry wry faces and beseeching looks. At length, his cigar being nearly finished, the smoker could no longer pretend blindness to the distressing condition to which he had reduced his companions—and he then asked “if they had any objection to smoking?”