he besieged. The little parlour which
adjoins the shop has been converted into a citadel, the
glass partition which separates them is closely blinded, and
the operations carried on in ambush behind it; two of the
squares of glass have been taken out, and in the place of
one of them is erected a box with an aperture for the
receipt of money, over which is an inscription, "Put your
money in here;" and in the other, a contrivance by which the
pamphlet wanted is slid down to the purchaser from the
inside of the citadel. This machinery, however, is used only
for the sale of such works as have already been made the
object of prosecution. The seller is invisible, and the
identification of his person rendered impracticable, unless
the citadel be taken by storm. Little Waddington, heretofore
the Radical standard-bearer, whose own experience has
procured for him an extensive acquaintance with the persons
of officers and informers, has assumed the command, and
conducts the operations in the front shop, where the sale of
such of Carlile's publications as have not as yet come under
the censure of the law, is carried on as usual.

~76~~ officers of the Police had just taken one of the shopmen in
custody, for vending an alleged seditious or treasonable publication,
upon the information of a Yeoman in the pay of the Bridge Street Gang.
The crowd of persons induced our friends to make a little further
enquiry into the cause, who were soon informed, that in consequence of
the repeated attempts to stop the issue of books and pamphlets sold, at
what is denominated the Temple of Reason, a part of the shop had been
boarded off, so as completely to screen the venders of any publication
from the eye of the purchaser, and by this means to render abortive all
future attempts to identify any supposed offender.

"Why," said Dashall, "it is an old saying, and I believe a very
true one, If you tread upon a worm it will turn. Such appears to be
exemplified in the case of this man. You have also heard me remark, that
in London it signifies little by what means a man obtains popularity,
and here is a case exactly in point. An extensive body of rich men have
combined their efforts to crush an individual of little importance in
the world, and who perhaps would before this have been forgotten, but
for their indiscreet interference with his pursuits. They ar