aled a creature worthy of the Clockmaker's comments.

"Good evening, marm," said Mr. Slick. "How do you do? and how's Mr.
Pugwash?" "He!" said she: "why, he's been abed this hour. You don't
expect to disturb him this time of night, I hope?" "Oh, no," said Mr.
Slick, "certainly not, and I am sorry to have disturbed you, but we got
detained longer than we expected; I am sorry that--" "So am I," said
she, "but if Mr. Pugwash will keep an inn when he has no occasion to,
his family can't expect no rest."

Here the Clockmaker, seeing the storm gathering, stooped down suddenly,
and, staring intently, held out his hand and exclaimed: "Well, if that
ain't a beautiful child! Come here, my little man, and shake hands along
with me. Well, I declare, if that are little feller ain't the finest
child I ever seed. What, not abed yet? Ah, you rogue, where did you get
them are pretty rosy cheeks? Stole them from mama, eh? Well, I wish my
old mother could see that child, it is such a treat. In our country,"
said he, turning to me, "the children are all as pale as chalk or as
yaller as an orange. Lord! that are little feller would be a show in our
country. Come to me, my man." Here the "soft sawder" began to operate.
Mrs. Pugwash said, in a milder tone than we had yet heard, "Go, my dear,
to the gentleman; go, dear." Mr. Slick kissed him, asked him if he would
go to the States along with him, told him all the little girls would
fall in love with him, for they didn't see such a beautiful face once in
a month of Sundays. "Black eyes,--let me see,--ah, mama's eyes, too, and
black hair also; as I am alive, you are mama's own boy, the very image
of mama." "Do be seated, gentlemen," said Mrs. Pugwash. "Sally, make a
fire in the next room." "She ought to be proud of you," he continued.
"Well, if I live to return here, I must paint your face, and have it put
on my clocks, and our folks will buy the clocks for the sake of the
face. Did you ever see," said he, again addressing me, "such a likeness
between one human and another, as between this beautiful little boy and
his mother?" "I am sure you have had no supper," said Mrs. Pugwash to
me; "you must be hungry, and weary, too. I will get you a cup of tea."
"I am sorry to give you so much trouble," said I. "Not the least trouble
in the world," she replied; "on the contrary, a pleasure."

We were then shown into the next room, where the fire was now blazing
up, but Mr. Slick protested he could not pr