Gabriel Parsons immediately set down in his
own mind as the debtor's wife. A young fellow of vulgar manners, dressed
in the very extreme of the prevailing fashion, was pacing up and down the
room, with a lighted cigar in his mouth and his hands in his pockets,
ever and anon puffing forth volumes of smoke, and occasionally applying,
with much apparent relish, to a pint pot, the contents of which were
'chilling' on the hob.

'Fourpence more, by gum!' exclaimed one of the cribbage-players, lighting
a pipe, and addressing his adversary at the close of the game; 'one 'ud
think you'd got luck in a pepper-cruet, and shook it out when you wanted
it.'

'Well, that a'n't a bad un,' replied the other, who was a horse-dealer
from Islington.

'No; I'm blessed if it is,' interposed the jolly-looking fellow, who,
having finished his dinner, was drinking out of the same glass as his
wife, in truly conjugal harmony, some hot gin-and-water. The faithful
partner of his cares had brought a plentiful supply of the
anti-temperance fluid in a large flat stone bottle, which looked like a
half-gallon jar that had been successfully tapped for the dropsy.
'You're a rum chap, you are, Mr. Walker--will you dip your beak into
this, sir?'

'Thank'ee, sir,' replied Mr. Walker, leaving his box, and advancing to
the other to accept the proffered glass. 'Here's your health, sir, and
your good 'ooman's here. Gentlemen all--yours, and better luck still.
Well, Mr. Willis,' continued the facetious prisoner, addressing the young
man with the cigar, 'you seem rather down to-day--floored, as one may
say. What's the matter, sir? Never say die, you know.'

'Oh! I'm all right,' replied the smoker. 'I shall be bailed out
to-morrow.'

'Shall you, though?' inquired the other. 'Damme, I wish I could say the
same. I am as regularly over head and ears as the Royal George, and
stand about as much chance of being _bailed out_. Ha! ha! ha!'

'Why,' said the young man, stopping short, and speaking in a very loud
key, 'look at me. What d'ye think I've stopped here two days for?'

''Cause you couldn't get out, I suppose,' interrupted Mr. Walker, winking
to the company. 'Not that you're exactly obliged to stop here, only you
can't help it. No compulsion, you know, only you must--eh?'

'A'n't he a rum un?' inquired the delighted individual, who had offered
the gin-and-water, of his wife.

'Oh, he just is!' replied the lady, who was quite overcome by th