taker
preceded by his man with a coffin; and to crown the whole,
"though last not least in our esteem," the then Lord Mayor of
London, who, at the eager desire of the old Lady, had, with
a commendable feeling of humanity, left his civic dominions,
in order to administer, in a case of danger and difficulty,
his consolation and assistance. When, behold! the clue was
unravelled, the whole turn'd out an hoax, and the Author
still remains in nubibus!!!

~8~~ "And who could have been the artist?" enquired Tallyho.

"Nay," answered his friend, "that is impossible to say; some one in the
crowd, but the secret must remain with himself; neither do I think it
would have been altogether prudent his revealing it to his alarmed and
credulous auditory."

"A Ventriloquist," observed the 'Squire, "is so little known in the
country, that I had lost all reminiscence of his surprising powers;
however, I shall in future, from the occurrence of to-day, resist
the obtrusion of superstition, and in all cases of 'doubtful dilemma'
remember the Devil in Long Acre!"{l}

"Well resolved," answered Dashall; and in a few minutes they
gained Great Russel Street, Bloomsbury, without further incident or
interruption.

1 The child in the hat.--Not long since, a Waggoner coming
to town with a load of hay, was overtaken by a stranger, who
entered into familiar conversation with him. They had not
pro-ceeded far, when, to the great terror of Giles Jolt, a
plaintive cry, apparently that of a child, issued from the
waggon. "Didst hear that, mon?" exclaimed Giles. The cry was
renewed--"Luord! Luord! an there be na a babe aneath the
hay, I'se be hanged; lend us a hand, mon, to get un out, for
God's sake!" The stranger very promptly assisted in
unloading the waggon, but no child was found. The hay now
lay in a heap on the road, from whence the cry was once more
long and loudly reiterated! In eager research, Giles next
proceeded to scatter the hay over the road, the cry still
continuing; but when, at last, he ascertained that the
assumed infantine plaint was all a delusion, his hair stood
erect with horror, and, running rapidly from his companion,
announced that he had been associated on the road by the
Devil, for that none else could play him such a trick! It
was not without great difficulty that the people to whom he