Briggs. His house was at the
entrance of the town of Buyemall; it stood inclosed in a small garden,
flaming with crocuses and sunflowers, and exhibiting an arbour to the
right, where, in the summer evenings, the respectable owner might be
seen, with his waistcoat unbuttoned, in order to give that just and
rational liberty to the subordinate parts of the human commonwealth
which the increase of their consequence after the hour of dinner,
naturally demands. Nor, in those moments of dignified ease, was
the worthy burgher without the divine inspirations of complacent
contemplation which the weed of Virginia bestoweth. There as he smoked
and puffed, and looked out upon the bright crocuses, and meditated over
the dim recollections of the hesternal journal, did Mr. Briggs revolve
in his mind the vast importance of the borough of Buyemall to the
British empire, and the vast importance of John Briggs to the borough of
Buyemall.

When I knocked at the door a prettyish maidservant opened it with a
smile, and a glance which the vender of wine might probably have
taught her himself after too large potations of his own spirituous
manufactories. I was ushered into a small parlour--where sat, sipping
brandy and water, a short, stout, monosyllabic sort of figure,
corresponding in outward shape to the name of Briggs--even unto a very
nicety.

"Mr. Pelham," said this gentleman, who was dressed in a brown coat,
white waistcoat, buff-coloured inexpressibles, with long strings, and
gaiters of the same hue and substance as the breeches--"Mr. Pelham,
pray be seated--excuse my rising, I'm like the bishop in the story, Mr.
Pelham, too old to rise;" and Mr. Briggs grunted out a short, quick,
querulous, "he--he--he," to which, of course, I replied to the best of
my cachinnatory powers.

No sooner, however, did I begin to laugh, than Mr. Briggs stopped
short--eyed me with a sharp, suspicious glance--shook his head, and
pushed back his chair at least four feet from the spot it had hitherto
occupied. Ominous signs, thought I--I must sound this gentleman a little
further, before I venture to treat him as the rest of his species.

"You have a nice situation here, Mr. Briggs," said I.

"Ah, Mr. Pelham, and a nice vote too, which is somewhat more to your
purpose, I believe."

'Oh!' thought I, 'I see through you now, Mr. Briggs!'--you must not be
too civil to one who suspects you are going to be civil, in order to
take him in.

"Why," said I, "M