
February 10, Sunday.—Contrary to my wishes, Carrie allowed
Lupin to persuade her to take her for a drive in the afternoon in his
trap. I quite disapprove of driving on a Sunday, but I did not
like to trust Carrie alone with Lupin, so I offered to go too.
Lupin said: “Now, that is nice of you, Guv., but you won’t
mind sitting on the back-seat of the cart?”
Lupin proceeded to put on a bright-blue coat that seemed miles too
large for him. Carrie said it wanted taking in considerably at
the back. Lupin said: “Haven’t you seen a box-coat
before? You can’t drive in anything else.”
He may wear what he likes in the future, for I shall never drive
with him again. His conduct was shocking. When we passed
Highgate Archway, he tried to pass everything and everybody. He
shouted to respectable people who were walking quietly in the road to
get out of the way; he flicked at the horse of an old man who was riding,
causing it to rear; and, as I had to ride backwards, I was compelled
to face a gang of roughs in a donkey-cart, whom Lupin had chaffed, and
who turned and followed us for nearly a mile, bellowing, indulging in
coarse jokes and laughter, to say nothing of occasionally pelting us
with orange-peel.
Lupin’s excuse—that the Prince of Wales would have to
put up with the same sort of thing if he drove to the Derby—was
of little consolation to either Carrie or myself. Frank Mutlar
called in the evening, and Lupin went out with him.