ke of its
accommodations, and mingle with some of its company."

By this time they had passed the Royal Exchange, and Tom was enlarging
upon the new erections lately completed; when all at once,

"Hallo," said Bob, "what is become of our party?" "All right," replied
his Cousin; "they have given us the slip without slipping from us--I
know their movements to a moment, we shall very soon be with them--this
way--this way," said he, drawing Bob into the narrow passage which leads
to the back of St. Peter's Church, Cornhill--"this is the track we must
follow."

Tallyho followed in silence till they entered the house, and were
greeted by the Landlord at the bar with a bow of welcome; passing
quickly to the right, they were saluted with immoderate volumes of
smoke, conveying to their olfactory nerves the refreshing fumes of
tobacco, and almost taking from them the power of sight, except to
observe a bright flame burning in the middle of the room. Tom darted
forward, and knowing his way well, was quickly seated by the side of
Merrywell, Mortimer, and Harry; while Tallyho was seen by those who were
invisible to him', groping his way in the same direction, amidst the
laughter of the company, occasionally interlarded with scraps which
caught his ear from a gentleman who was at the moment reading some of
the comments from the columns of the Courier, in which he made frequent
pauses and observations.

~284~~ "Why, you can't see yourself for smoke," said one; "D------n it
how hard you tread," said another. And then a line from the Reader came
as follows--"The worthy Alderman fought his battles o'er again--Ha, ha,
ha--Who comes here 1 upon my word, Sir, I thought you had lost your way,
and tumbled into the Woolpack instead of the Skin-market.--' It is a
friend of mine, Sir.'--That's a good joke, upon my soul; not arrived
yet, why St. Martin's bells have been ringing all day; perhaps he is
only half-seas over--Don't tell me, I know better than that--D------n
that paper, it ought to be burnt by--The fish are all poison'd by the
Gas-light Company--Six weeks imprisonment for stealing two dogs!--Hides
and bark--How's sugars to-day?--Stocks down indeed--Yes, Sir, and bread
up--Presto, be gone--What d'ye think of that now, eh?--Gammon, nothing
but gammon--On table at four o'clock ready dressed and--Well done, my
boy, that's prime."

These sentences were uttered from different parts of the room in
almost as great a variety of voices as