ths before he was prevailed upon to stand a contested
election for the office of beadle, necessity attached him to the service
of a broker; and on the opportunities he here acquired of ascertaining
the condition of most of the poorer inhabitants of the parish, his
patron, the captain, first grounded his claims to public support. Chance
threw the man in our way a short time since. We were, in the first
instance, attracted by his prepossessing impudence at the election; we
were not surprised, on further acquaintance, to find him a shrewd,
knowing fellow, with no inconsiderable power of observation; and, after
conversing with him a little, were somewhat struck (as we dare say our
readers have frequently been in other cases) with the power some men seem
to have, not only of sympathising with, but to all appearance of
understanding feelings to which they themselves are entire strangers. We
had been expressing to the new functionary our surprise that he should
ever have served in the capacity to which we have just adverted, when we
gradually led him into one or two professional anecdotes. As we are
induced to think, on reflection, that they will tell better in nearly his
own words, than with any attempted embellishments of ours, we will at
once entitle them.

MR BUNG'S NARRATIVE

'It's very true, as you say, sir,' Mr. Bung commenced, 'that a broker's
man's is not a life to be envied; and in course you know as well as I do,
though you don't say it, that people hate and scout 'em because they're
the ministers of wretchedness, like, to poor people. But what could I
do, sir? The thing was no worse because I did it, instead of somebody
else; and if putting me in possession of a house would put me in
possession of three and sixpence a day, and levying a distress on another
man's goods would relieve my distress and that of my family, it can't be
expected but what I'd take the job and go through with it. I never liked
it, God knows; I always looked out for something else, and the moment I
got other work to do, I left it. If there is anything wrong in being the
agent in such matters--not the principal, mind you--I'm sure the
business, to a beginner like I was, at all events, carries its own
punishment along with it. I wished again and again that the people would
only blow me up, or pitch into me--that I wouldn't have minded, it's all
in my way; but it's the being shut up by yourself in one room for