went full tear, bells jingling and whips cracking, to the admiration of
the women and children of the village gathered round to see the show.
Once we were off, things calmed down; but the postboys had no control
whatever over their horses, who knew the road, and did the stage, from
force of habit, at their own pace. If we came across other carriages or
wagons on the road, it was just a question as to whether our team would
take us too much out of their way, or not enough. Such meetings were
proclaimed by yells from the postilions. If the horses did not go far
enough to one side, there would be a terrible collision, and a volley of
oaths, together with a clashing of lanterns and a clatter of broken
windows. If the horses got too far out of the way, the carriage would
first of all tilt towards the sideway, slope more and more, and
frequently end by turning over gently into the ditch. Then a clamour
would rise from the menagerie, everybody first feeling themselves all
over, and then laughing, while the great machine was being lifted up,
preparatory to a fresh start. A little farther on, it might be, another
accident would occur. We would be passing through a village, and, to
create a sensation, the postboys would begin cracking their whips in
concert. The horses would get excited, and the pace would increase. It
was all very well if the village street was a straight one, but if there
was an angle in it the horses would take it too short, and there would
be a violent collision with the kerbstone at the corner. Then all the
wheelwrights and all the innkeepers, ever on the watch for such mishaps,
would hurry up. The repairs would take four hours perhaps, whereat the
GRANDSPARENTS would storm, but we children were jubilant. Confusion
reigned supreme, and we could write to our little friends, "We were
upset at such and such a place; we broke down at such another." We got
lots of copy out of it.

There was no great interest about our visits to Randan. We used to leave