thousand African monkey muffs! Oh, George, you must leave out
the monkey muffs."

"By no means, Mr. Brown."

"Or bring them down to a few hundreds. Two hundred African monkey
muffs would really be a great many."

"Mr. Brown," said Robinson on that occasion;--and it may be doubted
whether he ever again spoke to the senior partner of his firm in
terms so imperious and decisive; "Mr. Brown, to you has been allotted
your share in our work, and when you insisted on throwing away our
ready money on those cheap Manchester prints, I never said a word. It
lay in your department to do so. The composition of this card lies in
mine, and I mean to exercise my own judgment." And then he went on,
"Eight thousand real African monkey muffs; six thousand ditto, ditto,
ditto, very superior, with long fine hair." Mr. Brown merely groaned,
but he said nothing further.

"Couldn't you say that they are such as are worn by the Princess
Alice?" suggested Jones.

"No, I could not," answered Robinson. "You may tell them that in the
shop if you please. That will lie in your department."

In this way was the first card of the firm drawn out, and in the
space of a fortnight, nineteen thousand of them were disseminated
through the metropolis. When it is declared that each of those cards
cost B. J. and R. threepence three farthings, some idea may be formed
of the style in which they commenced their operations.

CHAPTER VI.

IT IS OUR OPENING DAY.

And now the day had arrived on which the firm was to try the result
of their efforts. It is believed that the 15th of May in that year
will not easily be forgotten in the neighbourhood of Bishopsgate
Street. It was on this day that the experiment of the men in armour
was first tried, and the four cavaliers, all mounted and polished as
bright as brass, were stationed in the front of the house by nine
o'clock. There they remained till the doors and shop windows were
opened, which ceremony actually took place at twelve. It had been
stated to the town on the preceding day by a man dressed as Fame,
with a long horn, who had been driven about in a gilt car, that this
would be done at ten. But peeping through the iron shutters at that
hour, the gentlemen of the firm saw that the crowd was as yet by no
means great. So a huge poster was put up outside each window:--

POSTPONED TILL ELEVEN.
IMMENSE PRESSURE OF GOODS IN THE BACK PREMISES.

At eleven this was done again; but at twelve th