ery little independence or will of her own, and a
very large independence under a will of her father's.

'Who's there?' inquired Mr. Watkins Tottle, as a gentle tap at his
room-door disturbed these meditations one evening.

'Tottle, my dear fellow, how _do_ you do?' said a short elderly gentleman
with a gruffish voice, bursting into the room, and replying to the
question by asking another.

'Told you I should drop in some evening,' said the short gentleman, as he
delivered his hat into Tottle's hand, after a little struggling and
dodging.

'Delighted to see you, I'm sure,' said Mr. Watkins Tottle, wishing
internally that his visitor had 'dropped in' to the Thames at the bottom
of the street, instead of dropping into his parlour. The fortnight was
nearly up, and Watkins was hard up.

'How is Mrs. Gabriel Parsons?' inquired Tottle.

'Quite well, thank you,' replied Mr. Gabriel Parsons, for that was the
name the short gentleman revelled in. Here there was a pause; the short
gentleman looked at the left hob of the fireplace; Mr. Watkins Tottle
stared vacancy out of countenance.

'Quite well,' repeated the short gentleman, when five minutes had
expired. 'I may say remarkably well.' And he rubbed the palms of his
hands as hard as if he were going to strike a light by friction.

'What will you take?' inquired Tottle, with the desperate suddenness of a
man who knew that unless the visitor took his leave, he stood very little
chance of taking anything else.

'Oh, I don't know--have you any whiskey?'

'Why,' replied Tottle, very slowly, for all this was gaining time, 'I
_had_ some capital, and remarkably strong whiskey last week; but it's all
gone--and therefore its strength--'

'Is much beyond proof; or, in other words, impossible to be proved,' said
the short gentleman; and he laughed very heartily, and seemed quite glad
the whiskey had been drunk. Mr. Tottle smiled--but it was the smile of
despair. When Mr. Gabriel Parsons had done laughing, he delicately
insinuated that, in the absence of whiskey, he would not be averse to
brandy. And Mr. Watkins Tottle, lighting a flat candle very
ostentatiously; and displaying an immense key, which belonged to the
street-door, but which, for the sake of appearances, occasionally did
duty in an imaginary wine-cellar; left the room to entreat his landlady
to charge their glasses, and charge them in the bill. The application
was successful; the spirits were speedily called