Page:The George Inn, Southwark.djvu/21

 3 Let us, however, leave its very picturesque exterior and take a ramble through the interior, commencing with the tap-room on the extreme right. It is rather out of repair at the moment, but none the less attractive in consequence. Here gathered in the old days the coachmen; the Tony Wellers of his day and before, with their long clay pipes and tankards of beer, met to discuss the events of the day and the road, whilst the ostlers saw to the watering and care of their horses further down the yard.

The old fireplace, the grubby-looking tables with the marks of the recreation known as "shove ha'penny " well engraved in its wood, the old wooden benches with their edges severely worn by frequent use, the door on the left with its aperture for ordering refreshment from the pretty maid on the other side, its panelling all these things conjure up scenes in the mind from which to weave many a tale of adventure. Indeed, how often an exciting tale has been told on that sawdust floor in the past, and, if the walls and furniture could speak, what stories could be revealed!

The room adjoining it is the kitchen, and, if a peep is taken from outside over the blind, a view is obtained, if the time is propitious, of the fire, with a joint suspended from an old-fashioned roasting-jack, cooking in front of it. There also will be seen the snow-white deal tables, the plate warmer and the various impedimenta necessary to a well-conducted menage. Suspended from the wall is the old warming pan, without which no self-respecting inn could be considered complete. Between the kitchen and the bar-parlour, with its cosy sitting-room behind, runs the passage leading to the push-up window through which the waiter or waitress of the tap-room gives his—or her—orders.

The bar parlour itself is just ideal and if you can picture Dickens's description of the bar parlour of "The Six Jolly Fellowship Porters" in Our Mutual Friend, or even remember Marcus Stone's picture of it, you will get