d of his genealogy, and maintaining some show of a Highland gentleman's
dignity, in a following of three ragged Skye terriers, who yelped
incessantly at his heels. Cutts was a grand specimen of the Londoner,
redolent of the Fives' Court and Evans's; one of those fellows whom it is
very desirable to have on your side in a row, and very unpleasant to
encounter if you happen to be particular about the colour and symmetry of
your eyes. With these gentlemen I speedily became hand in glove, and the
afternoon passed rapidly away. It may be questionable, however, whether
the accuracy of the estimates was improved by the introduction of cigars,
and a pitcher of the Welsh home-brewed.

After dinner, we all got remarkably merry. Mr Dodger related, in his
happiest manner, several anecdotes of the way in which he had "flummox'd"
old Jobson, his arch-enemy and railway rival; Mr Ginger favoured us with
an imitation of a locomotive train, perfect even to the painful intensity
of the whistle; and Gordon told, with great gusto, various miraculous
adventures, which might have done honour to a Borderer in the good old
days of "lifting." Somehow or other, as the evening got on, we became
confoundedly national. The Scotch, of course, being the majority, had
decidedly the best of it; and the American Scripio and Cambrian Ginger
having joined our ranks, we all fell foul of the unfortunate Cutts, and
abused everything Anglican as heartily as O'Connell upon the hill of Tara.
We soon succeeded in extorting an admission, that the Scots, upon the
whole, had rather the best of it at Flodden; and thereupon, and ever
thereafter, Mr Cutts was accosted by the endearing epithet of Saxon,
presently abbreviated, for the sake of euphony, into Sacks. I don't
exactly recollect at what hour we retired to bed.

"Freddy," said my uncle next morning, "I am going off to London with Mr
Ginger; and I don't think you could do better than remain where you are.
You'd be sure to get into no end of scrapes in town; and I haven't time to
be continually bailing you out of Bow Street."

"Very well, sir; just as you please. I dare say, I shall manage to make
myself quite comfortable here."

"I say, though," remonstrated Mr Ginger, "he'll keep the whole of the lads
from their work. Gordon is too fond of fun at any time; and the moment our
backs are turned, they'll be after some devilry or other. Couldn't your
nephew carry a theodolite, and take a few practical lessons in su