Italian upon a very dingy gentleman in smoked spectacles, with
a shawl round his throat._

_The Dingy Italian_ (_suddenly discovering CULCHARD's nationality_).
Ecco, siete Inglese! Lat us spika Ingelis, I onnerstan' 'im to ze
bottom-side. (_Laboriously, to CULCHARD, who tries to conceal his
chagrin._) 'Ow menni time you employ to go since Coire at here? (C.
_nods with vague encouragement_.) Vich manners of vezzer you vere
possess troo your travels--mosh ommerella? (C.'s _eyes grow vacant_.)
Ha, I _tink_ it vood! Zis day ze vicket root sall 'ave plenti 'orse
to pull, &c., &c. (_Here PODBURY comes up, and puts some rugs the_
coupé _of the diligence._) You sit at ze beginning-end, hey? better,
you tink, zan ze mizzle? I too, zen, sall ride at ze front--we vill
spika Ingelis, altro!

_Podb._ (_overhearing this, with horror_). One minute, CULCHARD. (_He
draws him aside._) I say, for goodness' sake, don't let's have that
old organ-grinding Johnny in the _coupé_ with _us_!

_Culch._ Organ-grinder! you are so _very_ insular! For anything you
can tell, he may be a decayed nobleman.

_Pod._ (_coarsely_). Well, let him decay somewhere else, that's all!
Just tell the Conductor to shove him in the _intérieur_, do, while I
nip in the _coupé_ and keep our places.

[Illustration: "An elderly Englishwoman is sitting on her trunk."]

[_CULCHARD, on reflection, adopts this suggestion, and the
Italian Gentleman, after fluttering feebly about the_ coupé