ving of notice.
In one corner I found Lord Anundrum, the ex-amateur director, m close
conversation with Mr. Splitlungs, a great tragedian, and Tom Little,
the great poet, on the subject of a new piece written by the latter,
and presented for acceptance to the former by. Mr. Splitlungs, the
intermediate friend of both. I discovered the title of this master-piece
of dramatic literature to be no other than 'The Methodical Madman, or
Bedlam besieged.' A little further on sat Dr. Staggerwit, who passes
for a universal genius: he is a great chemist, and a still greater
gourmand, moreover a musician, has a hand in the leading Reviews, a
share m the most prominent of the daily papers; is president of several
learned institutions, over the threshold of which he has never passed,
and an honorary member of others which have long been defunct: he
appeared to be absorbed in contemplation, and taking but little notice
of the gaieties by which he was surrounded. My friend informed me he was
just then endeavouring to bring before Parliament his _coup de maitre_,
which was a process for extracting a nourishing diet for the poor from
oyster shells."

~~387~~~ "What the devil is the matter?" exclaimed Dashall, thrusting
his head out of the carriage window upon hearing a sudden crash.

"Matter enough, your honour," bawled an athletic Irishman in the habit
of a sailor; "by the powers, here's Peg Pimpleface, the costermonger's
great grand-daughter, at sea without a rudder or compass, upset in a
squall, and run bump ashore; and may I be chained to the toplights if I
think either crew or cargo can be saved."

It appeared that Peg Pimpleface had been round Poplar, Limehouse, and
their vicinities, to sell her cargo of greens, potatoes, and other
vegetables; and having met with tolerable success, she had refreshed
herself a little too freely with the juniper, and driving her
donkey-cart towards Whitechapel, with a short pipe in her mouth, had
dropped from her seat among the remains of her herbage, leaving her
donkey to the uncontrolled selection of his way home. A Blackwall stage,
on the way to its place of destination, had, by a sudden jerk against
one of the wheels of Peg's crazy vehicle, separated the shafts from the
body of the cart, and the donkey being thus unexpectedly disengaged from
his load, made the best of his bargain, by starting at full speed
with the shafts at his heels, while the cart, by the violence of the
concussion, lay in