CHAPTER II.

IN WHICH MR. WALKER MAKES THREE ATTEMPTS TO ASCERTAIN THE

DWELLING OF MORGIANA.

THE day after the dinner at the Regent Club, Mr. Walker stepped over to the shop of his friend the perfumer, where, as usual, the young man, Mr. Mossrose, was established in the front premises.

For some reason or other, the captain was particularly goodhumoured; and, quite forgetful of the words which had passed between him and Mr. Eglantine's lieutenant the day before, began addressing the latter with extreme cordiality.

"A good morning to you, Mr. Mossrose," said Captain Walker. "Why, sir, you look as fresh as your namesake,-you do, indeed, now, Mossrose."

“You look ash yellow ash a guinea," responded Mr. Mossrose, sulkily. He thought the captain was hoaxing him.

"My good sir," replies the other, nothing cast down, "I drank rather too freely last night."

"The more beast you!" said Mr. Mossrose.

"Thank you, Mossrose; the same to you," answered the captain.

"If you call me a beast I'll punch your head off!” answered the young man, who had much skill in the art which many of his brethren practise.

"I didn't, my fine fellow," replied Walker; you_"

"on the contrary,

"Do you mean to give me the lie?" broke out the indignant Mossrose, who hated the agent fiercely, and did not in the least care to conceal his hate.

"Do

In fact, it was his fixed purpose to pick a quarrel with Walker, and to drive him, if possible, from Mr. Eglantine's shop. you mean to give me the lie, I say, Mr. Hooker Walker ?”

"For Heaven's sake, Amos, hold your tongue!" exclaimed the captain, to whom the name of Hooker was as poison; but at this moment, a customer stepping in, Mr. Amos exchanged his

ferocious aspect for a bland grin, and Mr. Walker walked into the studio.

When in Mr. Eglantine's presence, Walker, too, was all smiles in a minute, sunk down on a settee, held out his hand to the perfumer, and began confidentially discoursing with him.

"Such a dinner, Tiny, my boy," said he; "such prime fellows to eat it, too! Billingsgate, Vauxhall, Cinqbars, Buff of the Blues, and half-a-dozen more of the best fellows in town. And what do you think the dinner cost a-head? I'll wager you'll never guess."

"Was it two guineas a-head ?-In course I mean without wine," said the genteel perfumer.

"Guess again!"

"Well, was it ten guineas a-head? I'll guess any sum you please," replied Mr. Eglantine; "for I know that when you nobs are together, you don't spare your money. I, myself, at the Star and Garter at Richmond, once paid

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Eighteen-pence? ”

Heighteen-pence, sir?—I paid five-and-thirty shillings per 'ead. I'd have you to know that I can act as a gentleman as well as any other gentleman, sir," answered the perfumer with much dignity.

Well, eighteen-pence was what we paid, and not a rap more upon my honour."

"Nonsense, you're joking. The Marquess of Billinsgate dine for eighteen-pence? Why, hang it, if I was a marquess, I'd pay a five-pound note for my lunch."

"You little know the person, Master Eglantine," replied the captain, with a smile of contemptuous superiority; "you little know the real man of fashion, my good fellow. Simplicity, sir, -simplicity's the characteristic of the real gentleman, and so I'll tell you what we had for dinner."

"Turtle and venison, of course;-no nob dines without them."

"Psha! we're sick of 'em! We had pea-soup and boiled tripe! What do you think of that? We had sprats and herrings, a bullock's heart, a baked shoulder of mutton and potatoes, pig's fry and Irish stew. I ordered the dinner, sir, and got more credit

for inventing it than they ever gave to Ude or Soyer. The marquess was in ecstasies, the earl devoured half a bushel of sprats, and if the viscount is not laid up with a surfeit of bullock's heart, my name's not Howard Walker. Billy, as I call him, was in the chair, and gave my health; and what do you think the rascal proposed ? "

“What did his lordship propose ?"

"That every man present should subscribe twopence, and pay for my share of the dinner. By Jove! it is true, and the money was handed to me in a pewter-pot, of which they also begged to make me a present. We afterwards went to Tom Spring's, from Tom's to the Finish, from the Finish to the watchhouse-that is, they did,—and sent for me, just as I was getting into bed, to bail them all out."

"They're happy dogs, those young noblemen," said Mr. Eglantine; "nothing but pleasure from morning till night; no affectation, neither,—no hoture; but manly, downright, straightforward good fellows."

"Should you like to meet them, Tiny, my boy?" said the captain.

"If I did, sir, I hope I should show myself to be the gentleman," answered Mr. Eglantine.

“Well, you shall meet them, and Lady Billingsgate shall order her perfumes at your shop. We are going to dine, next week, all our set, at mealy-faced Bob's, and you shall be my guest," cried the captain, slapping the delighted artist on the back. "And now, my boy, tell me how you spent the evening.”

"At my club, sir," answered Mr. Eglantine, blushing rather. What, not at the play with the lovely black-eyed Miss-what is her name, Eglantine?"

"Never mind her name, captain," replied Eglantine, partly from prudence and partly from shame. He had not the heart to own it was Crump, and he did not care that the captain should know more of his destined bride.

"You wish to keep the five thousand to yourself, eh! you rogue ?" responded the captain, with a good-humoured air, although exceedingly mortified; for, to say the truth, he had put himself to the trouble of telling the above long story of the dinner, and

of promising to introduce Eglantine to the lords, solely that he might elicit from that gentleman's good-humour some further particulars regarding the young lady with the billiard-ball eyes. It was for the very same reason, too, that he had made the attempt at reconciliation with Mr. Mossrose, which had just so signally failed. Nor would the reader, did he know Mr. W. better, at all require to have the above explanation; but as yet we are only at the first chapter of his history, and who is to know what the hero's motives can be unless we take the trouble to explain ?

Well, the little dignified answer of the worthy dealer in bergamot," Never mind her name, captain!" threw the gallant captain quite back; and though he sat for a quarter of an hour longer, and was exceedingly kind; and though he threw out some skilful hints, yet the perfumer was quite unconquerable; or, rather, he was too frightened to tell; the poor, fat, timid, easy, good-natured gentleman was always the prey of rogues,-panting and floundering in one rascal's snare or another's. He had the dissimulation, too, which timid men have; and felt the presence of a victimiser as a hare does of a greyhound. Now he would be quite still, now he would double, and now he would run, and then came the end. He knew, by his sure instinct of fear, that the captain had, in asking these questions, a scheme against him, and so he was cautious, and trembled, and doubted. And oh! how he thanked his stars when Lady Grogmore's chariot drove up, with the Misses Grogmore, who wanted their hair dressed, and were going to a breakfast at three o'clock!

“I'll look in again, Tiny," said the captain, on hearing the

summons.

"Do, captain," replied the other: "thank you;" and went into the lady's studio with a heavy heart.

"Get out of the way you infernal villain!" roared the captain, with many oaths, to Lady Grogmore's large footman, with rubycoloured tights, who was standing inhaling the ten thousand perfumes of the shop; and the latter, moving away in great terror, the gallant agent passed out, quite heedless of the grin of Mr. Mossrose.

Walker was in a fury at his want of success, and walked down Bond Street in a fury. "I will know where the girl lives!"

swore he. "I'll spend a five-pound note, by Jove! rather than not know where she lives!"

"That you would—I know you would!" said a little, grave, low, voice, all of a sudden, by his side. "Pooh! what's money to you?"

Walker looked down; it was Tom Dale.

Who in London did not know little Tom Dale? He had cheeks like an apple, and his hair curled every morning, and a little blue stock, and always two new magazines under his arm, and an umbrella and a little brown frock coat, and big square-toed shoes with which he went papping down the street. He was every

where at once. Every body met him every day, and he knew every thing that every body ever did; though nobody ever knew what he did. He was, they say, a hundred years old, and had never dined at his own charge once in those hundred years. He looked like a figure out of a wax-work, with glassy, clear, meaningless eyes; he always spoke with a grin; he knew what you had for dinner the day before he met you, and what every body had had for dinner for a century back almost. He was the receptacle of all the scandal of all the world, from Bond Street to Bread Street; he knew all the authors, all the actors, all the "notorieties of the town, and the private histories of each. That is he never knew any thing really, but supplied deficiencies of truth and memory, with ready-coined, never-failing lies. He was the most benevolent man in the universe, and never saw you without telling you every thing most cruel of your neighbour, and when he left you he went to do the same kind turn by yourself.

"Pooh! what's money to you, my dear boy?" said little Tom Dale, who had just come out of Ebers's, where he had been filching an opera ticket. "You make it in bushels in the city, you know you do,-in thousands. I saw you go into Eglantine's. Fine business that; finest in London. Five shilling cakes of soap, my dear boy. I can't wash with such; thousands a-year

that man has made-hasn't he?"

"Upon my word, Tom, I don't know," says the captain.

"You not know? Don't tell me. You know everythingyou agents. You know he makes five thousand a-year,—ay, and might make ten but you know why he don't."