corner, is divided among different occupiers, whose names are painted
in small letters upon the very dirty posts of the doorway. Nothing
can be more remarkable than the contrast between Burton and Bangles
and these other City gentlemen in the method taken by them in
declaring their presence to visitors in the court. The names of Dobbs
Broughton and of A. Musselboro,--the Christian name of Mr. Musselboro
was Augustus,--were on one of those dirty posts, not joined together
by any visible "and", so as to declare boldly that they were
partners; but in close vicinity,--showing at least that the two
gentlemen would be found in apartments very near to each other. And
on the first-floor of this house Dobbs Broughton and his friend did
occupy three rooms,--or rather two rooms and a closet,--between them.
The larger and front room was tenanted by an old clerk, who sat
within a rail in one corner of it. And there was a broad, short
counter which jutted out from the wall into the middle of the room,
intended for the use of such of the public as might come to transact
miscellaneous business with Dobbs Broughton or Augustus Musselboro.
But any one accustomed to the look of offices might have seen with
half an eye that very little business was ever done on that counter.
Behind this large room was a smaller one, belonging to Dobbs
Broughton, in the furnishing and arrangement of which some regard
had been paid to comfort. The room was carpeted, and there was a
sofa in it, though a very old one, and two arm-chairs and a mahogany
office-table, and a cellaret, which was generally well supplied
with wine which Dobbs Broughton did not get out of the vaults of
his neighbours, Burton and Bangles. Behind this again, but with a
separate entrance from the passage, was the closet; and this closet
was specially devoted to the use of Mr. Musselboro. Closet as it
was,--or cupboard as it might almost have been called,--it contained
a table and two chairs; and it had a window of its own, which opened
out upon a blank wall which was distant from it not above four feet.
As the house to which this wall belonged was four stories high, it
would sometimes happen that Mr. Musselboro's cupboard was rather
dark. But this mattered the less as in these days Mr. Musselboro
seldom used it. Mr. Musselboro, who was very constant at his place of
business,--much more constant than his friend, Dobbs Broughton,--was
generally to be found in his friend's room. Only on so