His effigy, my ~17~~friend." "Aye, aye, but
what the dickens ha've they wrapt a blanket round un vor?"

Proceeding along Charlotte Street, Bloomsbury, the associates in
search of Real Life were accosted by a decent looking countryman in a
smock-frock, who, approaching them in true clod-hopping style, with a
strong provincial accent, detailed an unaffectedly simple, yet deep tale
of distress:

"----Oppression fore'd from his cot,
His cattle died, and blighted was his corn!"

The story which he told was most pathetic, the tears the while coursing
each other down his cheeks; and Dashall and his friend were about to
administer liberally to his relief, the former observing, "There can be
no deception here," when the applicant was suddenly pounced upon by an
officer, as one of the greatest impostors in the Metropolis, who, with
the eyes of Argus, could transform themselves into a greater variety of
shapes than Proteus, and that he had been only fifty times, if not more,
confined in different houses of correction as an incorrigible rogue
and vagabond, from one of which he had recently contrived to effect his
escape. The officer now bore off his prize in triumph, while Dashall,
hitherto "the most observant of all observers," sustained the laugh
of his Cousin at the knowing one deceived, with great good humour, and
Dashall, adverting to his opinion so confidently expressed, "There can
be no deception here," declared that in London it was impossible to
guard in every instance against fraud, where it is frequently practised
with so little appearance of imposition.

The two friends now bent their course towards Covent Garden, which,
reaching without additional incident, they wiled away an hour at
Robins's much to their satisfaction. That gentleman, in his professional
capacity, generally attracts in an eminent degree the attention of his
visitors by his professional politeness, so that he seldom fails to
put off an article to advantage; and yet he rarely resorts to the puff
direct, and never indulges in the puff figurative, so much practised by
his renowned predecessor, the late knight of the hammer, Christie, the
elder, who by the superabundancy of his rhetorical ~18~~flurishes, was
accustomed from his elevated rostrum to edify and amuse his admiring
auditory.{1}

Of the immense revenues accruing to his Grace the Duke of Bedford,
not the least important is that derived from Covent Garden market. As
propri