In view of this I determined to
muffle my head in the folds of my thick shawl at the moment of overturn,
and as I could do no better for myself, I awaited my fate with
equanimity. As far as apprehension goes, I had rather travel from Maine
to Georgia by rail, than from Grasmere to Windermere by stage-coach.
At Lowwood, the landlady espied me from the window, and sent out a large
packet that had arrived by mail; but as it was addressed to some person
of the Christian name of William, I did not venture to open it. She
said, also, that a gentleman had been there, who very earnestly desired
to see me, and I have since had reason to suppose that this was
Allingham, the poet. We arrived at Windermere at half past seven, and
waited nearly an hour for the train to start. I took a ticket for
Lancaster, and talked there about the war with a gentleman in the
coffee-room, who took me for an Englishman, as most people do nowadays,
and I heard from him--as you may from all his countrymen--an expression
of weariness and dissatisfaction with the whole business. These fickle
islanders! How differently they talked a year ago! John Bull sees now
that he never was in a worse predicament in his life; and yet it would
not take much to make him roar as bellicosely as ever. I went to bed at
eleven, and slept unquietly on feathers.
I had purposed to rise betimes, and see the town of Lancaster before
breakfast. But here I reckoned without my host; for, in the first place,
I had no water for my ablutions, and my boots were not brushed; and so I
could not get down stairs till the hour I named for my coffee and chops;
and, secondly, the breakfast was delayed half an hour, though promised
every minute.
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