e and little
family, at his Cure of Souls. The representatives of the Barnacle Chorus
dropped in next, and Mr Merdle's physician dropped in next. Bar, who
had a bit of one eye and a bit of his double eye-glass for every one who
came in at the door, no matter with whom he was conversing or what he
was talking about, got among them all by some skilful means, without
being seen to get at them, and touched each individual gentleman of the
jury on his own individual favourite spot. With some of the Chorus,
he laughed about the sleepy member who had gone out into the lobby the
other night, and voted the wrong way: with others, he deplored that
innovating spirit in the time which could not even be prevented from
taking an unnatural interest in the public service and the public money:
with the physician he had a word to say about the general health; he had
also a little information to ask him for, concerning a professional man
of unquestioned erudition and polished manners--but those credentials
in their highest development he believed were the possession of other
professors of the healing art (jury droop)--whom he had happened to
have in the witness-box the day before yesterday, and from whom he had
elicited in cross-examination that he claimed to be one of the exponents
of this new mode of treatment which appeared to Bar to--eh?--well, Bar
thought so; Bar had thought, and hoped, Physician would tell him so.
Without presuming to decide where doctors disagreed, it did appear to
Bar, viewing it as a question of common sense and not of so-called legal
penetration, that this new system was--might be, in the presence of so
great an authority--say, Humbug? Ah! Fortified by such encouragement, he
could venture to say Humbug; and now Bar's mind was relieved.

Mr Tite Barnacle, who, like Dr johnson's celebrated acquaintance, had
only one idea in his head and that was a wrong one, had appeared by this
time. This eminent gentleman and Mr Merdle, seated diverse ways and with
ruminating aspects on a yellow ottoman in the light of the fire,
holding no verbal communication with each other, bore a strong general
resemblance to the two cows in the Cuyp picture over against them.

But now, Lord Decimus arrived. The Chief Butler, who up to this time
had limited himself to a branch of his usual function by looking at the
company as they entered (and that, with more of defiance than favour),
put himself so far out of his way as to come up-stairs w