tand at attention stiff and straight enough in the sentry-box. Your
recruits do you credit, Mrs. Wale."

The Doctor stood at the foot of the bed to inspect, breathing forth a
vapour of very fine old port, his hands in his pockets, speaking with a
lazy thickness, and looking so comfortable and facetious, that Mrs.
Julaper would have liked to turn him out of the room.

But the Doctor was not unkind, only extremely comfortable. He was a
good-natured fellow, and had thought and care for the living, but not a
great deal of sentiment for the dead, whom he had looked in the face too
often to be much disturbed by the spectacle.

"You'll have to keep that bandage on. You should be sharp; you should
know all about it, girl, by this time, and not let those muscles
stiffen. I need not tell you the mouth shuts as easily as this
snuff-box, if you only take it in time.--I suppose, Mrs. Julaper, you'll
send to Jos Fringer for the poor fellow's outfit. Fringer is a very
proper man--there ain't a properer und-aker in England. I always
re-mmend Fringer--in Church-street in Golden Friars. You know Fringer, I
daresay."

"I can't say, sir, I'm sure. That will be as Sir Bale may please to
direct," answered Mrs. Julaper.

"You've got him very straight--straighter than I thought you could; but
the large joints were not so stiff. A very little longer wait, and you'd
hardly have got him into his coffin. He'll want a vr-r-ry long one, poor
lad. Short cake is life, ma'am. Sad thing this. They'll open their eyes,
I promise you, down in the town. 'Twill be cool enough, I'd shay, affre
all th-thunr-thunnle, you know. I think I'll take a nip, Mrs. Jool-fr,
if you wouldn't mine makin' me out a thimmle-ful bran-band-bran-rand-andy,
eh, Mishs Joolfr?"

And the Doctor took a chair by the fire; and Mrs. Julaper, with a
dubious conscience and dry hospitality, procured the brandy-flask and
wine-glass, and helped the physician in a thin hesitating stream, which
left him ample opportunity to cry "Hold--enough!" had he been so minded.
But that able physician had no confidence, it would seem, in any dose
under a bumper, which he sipped with commendation, and then fell asleep
with the firelight on his face--to tender-hearted Mrs. Julaper's
disgust--and snored with a sensual disregard of the solemnity of his
situation; until with a profound nod, or rather dive, toward the fire,
he awoke, got up and shook his ears with a kind of start, and standing
with his b