han our insect-nets in our
hands, we met with but a cool reception, which, however, visibly
warmed as soon as we had desired to be shewn into the best
dining-room, and had ordered a good dinner and wine. We intended to
walk back in the evening, but as the bank where the _Marchantia?_ grew
was a mile or two out of the direct road, and it came on rain, we
ordered out a postchaise, merely saying we wanted to drive a short way
on a road which Mr Kirby indicated to the postilion.

'When we arrived at the gate of the field where the bank was, the rain
had become very heavy; so, calling to the postilion to stop and open
the door, we scampered out of the chaise, all laughing, and hastily
telling him to wait there, without other explanation we climbed over
the gate, and not to be long in the rain, set off running as fast as
we could along the field-side of the hedge, to the bank we were
looking for. We saw amazement in the face of our postilion at what
possible motive could have made three guests of his master clamber
pell-mell over a gate into a field that led nowhere, in the midst of a
heavy shower of rain, and then run away as if pursued; and it was the
expression in his countenance which caused our mirth, which was
increased to peals of merriment when we saw that, instead of waiting
for us at the gate, as we had directed, he mounted his horses with all
speed, and pushed on in a gallop along the road on the other side of
the hedge, evidently to circumvent our nefarious plan (as he
conceived) of bilking his master both of our dinners and the
chaise-hire. When the cessation of our uncontrollable mirth had
allowed us to gather specimens of our plant, perceiving through the
hedge whereabouts we stopped, he also halted to watch our motions, and
when he saw us run back, he obeyed our orders to return to the
gate--where we got into the chaise, still in a roar of laughter at the
whole affair, and at his awkward attempt to explain away his not
having waited for us there, as we had directed, and evident high
satisfaction at bringing back in triumph to our inn the three cheats
whose intended plans he had so cleverly frustrated, as he no doubt
told his master; to whom, being too much amused with the adventure, we
did not make any explanation, but left it to form one of the
traditions of the inn.'

When a man excels in anything, it must always be of some consequence
to know what were his habits, and what external means he employed, in