Tom Pinch has only just boarded the London stage at Salisbury, but is already overwhelmed by the experience. The professionalism of the driver, down to the way he handled his whip, gloves and hat, was a wonder to Tom, and he felt in a confused way that the driver was completely at one with his horses and the road.

If the driver’s dexterity was a wonder to Tom, the very appearance of the guard was a revelation. Everything about him painted pictures in Tom’s mind: of an express eating up the miles on an easy road, of the fashionable bohemianism of London life, and of a scornful farewell to a provincial backwater such as Salisbury.

115 words