fellow presumes on my having in my desk round the corner, his dirty note of hand for a wretched sum payable on the occurrence of a certain event, which event can only be of my and my wife’s bringing about! This fellow, Fledgeby, presumes to be impertinent to me, Lammle. Give me your nose sir!”

“No! Stop! I beg your pardon,” said Fledgeby, with humility.

“What do you say, sir?” demanded Mr Lammle, seeming too furious to understand.

“I beg your pardon,” repeated Fledgeby.

“Repeat your words louder, sir. The just indignation of a gentleman has sent the blood boiling to my head. I don’t hear you.”

“I say,” repeated Fledgeby, with laborious explanatory politeness, “I beg your pardon.”

Mr Lammle paused. “As a man of honour,” said he, throwing himself into a chair, “I am disarmed.”

Mr Fledgeby also took a chair, though less demonstratively, and by slow approaches removed his hand from his nose. Some natural diffidence assailed him as to blowing it, so shortly after its having assumed a personal and delicate, not to say public, character; but he overcame his scruples by degrees, and modestly took that liberty under an implied protest.

“Lammle,” he said sneakingly, when that was done, “I hope we are friends again?”

“Mr Fledgeby,” returned Lammle, “say no more.”

“I must have gone too far in making myself disagreeable,” said Fledgeby, “but I never intended it.”

“Say no more, say no more!” Mr Lammle repeated in a magnificent tone. “Give me your” — Fledgeby started — “hand.”

They shook hands, and on Mr Lammle’s part, in particular, there ensued great geniality. For, he was quite as much of a dastard as the other, and had been in equal danger of falling into the second place for good, when he took heart just in time, to act upon the information conveyed to him by Fledgeby’s eye.

The breakfast ended in a perfect understanding. Incessant machinations were to be kept at work by Mr and Mrs Lammle; love was to be made for Fledgeby, and conquest was to be insured to him; he on his part very humbly admitting his defects as to the softer social arts, and entreating to be backed to the utmost by his two able coadjutors.

Little recked Mr Podsnap of the traps and toils besetting his Young Person. He regarded her as safe within the Temple of Podsnappery, biding the fulness of time when she, Georgiana, should take him, Fitz-Podsnap, who with all his worldly goods should her endow. It would call a blush into the cheek of his standard Young Person to have anything to do with such matters save to take as directed, and with worldly goods as per settlement to be endowed. Who giveth this woman to be married to this man? I, Podsnap. Perish the daring thought that any smaller creation should come between!

It was a public holiday, and Fledgeby did not recover his spirits or his usual temperature of nose until the afternoon. Walking into the City in the holiday afternoon, he walked against a living stream setting out of it; and thus, when he turned into the precincts of St. Mary Axe, he found a prevalent repose and quiet there. A yellow overhanging plaster-fronted house at which he stopped was quiet too. The blinds were all drawn down, and the inscription Pubsey and Co. seemed to doze in the counting-house window on the ground-floor giving on the sleepy street.