“‘Ah, all right then,’ said I; so watching an opportunity to do so unobserved, for I supposed they might have laughed at me, I stepped quietly into the coupe; and amid the creaking of cordage, and the thumping of feet on the roof, fell as sound asleep as ever I did in my life—­these sounds coming to my muffled ears, soft as the echoes on the Rhine.  When it was that I awoke I cannot say; but as I rubbed my eyes and yawned after a most refreshing sleep, I perceived that it was still quite dark all around, and that the diligence was standing before the door of some inn and not moving.  Ah, thought I, this is the first stage; how naturally one always wakes at the change of horses,—­a kind of instinct implanted by Providence, I suppose, to direct us to a little refreshment on the road.  With these pious feelings I let down the glass, and called out to the garcon for a glass of brandy and a cigar.  While he was bringing them, I had time to look about, and perceived, to my very great delight, that I had the whole coupe to myself.  ’Are there any passengers coming in here?’ said I, as the waiter came forward with my petit verre.  ‘I should think not, sir,’ said the fellow with a leer.  ‘Then I shall have the whole coupe to myself?’ said I.  ’Monsieur need have no fear of being disturbed; I can safely assure him that he will have no one there for the next twenty-four hours.’  This was really pleasant intelligence; so I chucked him a ten sous piece, and closing up the window as the morning was cold, once more lay back to sleep with a success that has never failed me.  It was to a bright blue cloudless sky, and the sharp clear air of a fine day in winter, that I at length opened my eyes.  I pulled out my watch, and discovered it was exactly two o’clock; I next lowered the glass and looked about me, and very much to my surprise discovered that the diligence was not moving, but standing very peaceably in a very crowded congregation of other similar and dissimilar conveyances, all of which seemed, I thought, to labour under some physical ailment, some wanting a box, others a body, &c., &c. and in fact suggesting the idea of an infirmary for old and disabled carriages of either sex, mails and others.  ‘Oh, I have it,’ cried I, ’we are arrived at Mt.  Geran, and they are all at dinner, and from my being alone in the coupe, they have forgotten to call me.’  I immediately opened the door and stepped out into the innyard, crowded with conducteurs, grooms, and ostlers, who, I thought, looked rather surprised at seeing me emerge from the diligence.

“‘You did not know I was there,’ said I, with a knowing wink at one of them as I passed.