that's all, and
offers to pay me a good round sum if I get one for him."

"Is your friend a medical man?" asked the doctor.

"N-no, he's not. In fact, he has more to do with spirits than bodies;
but he wants one of the latter--and I said I'd try to get him one--so,
if you can help me, do so, like a good fellow. My friend is particular,
however; he wants a _man_ one, above six feet, thin and sallow, and with
long black hair."

"You don't suppose I keep a stock of assorted subjects on hand, do you?"
said the doctor. "I fear it won't be easy to get what you want. Do you
know what your friend intends to do with it?"

"Not I, and I don't care," said Ned, pouring out another cup of coffee.
"What does a body cost?"

"Between two and three pounds," replied the doctor.

"Dear me, so cheap," said Ned, with a look of surprise; "then that
knocks on the head a little plan I had. I thought of offering myself
for sale at Guy's or one of the hospitals, and drinking myself to death
with the money, leaving my address, so that they might know where to
find me; but it's not worth while to do it for so little; in fact, I
don't believe I could accomplish it on three pounds' worth of
dissipation."

"Don't jest about your besetting sin," said the doctor gravely; "it's
bad enough without that."

"Bad enough," exclaimed Ned, with a sudden flash of ferocity; "ay, bad
enough in all conscience, and the worst of it is, that it makes me ready
to jest about _anything_--in heaven, earth, or hell. Oh, drink!
accursed drink!"

He started up and clutched the hair of his head with both hands for a
moment; but the feeling passed away, and he sat down again and resumed
breakfast, while he said in a graver tone than he had yet used--

"Excuse me, doctor; I'm subject to these bursts now and then. Well,
what say you about the body? My friend offers me twenty pounds, if I
get the right kind. That would be seventeen pounds of profit on the
transaction. It's worth an effort. It might put me in the way of
making one more stand."

Ned said this sadly, for he had made so many stands in time past, and
failed to retain his position, that hope was at dead low-water of a very
neap-tide now.

"I don't like the look of the thing," said the doctor. "There's too
much secrecy about it for me. Why don't your friend speak out like a
man; state what he wants it for, and get it in the regular way?"

"It mayn't be a secret, for all I know," said Ned H