room the appendage of a chimney, but evidently it had for many
years been unconscious of its usual accompaniment, fire. Two windows had
originally admitted the light of heaven, but to reduce the duty, one
was internally blocked up, while externally uniformity was preserved. A
demolished pane of glass in the remaining window, close to which stood
a small dilapidated table, gave ingress to a current of air; the
convenient household article denominated a clothes-horse, stood against
the wall; and several parallel lines of cord were stretched across the
room, on which to hang wet linen, a garret being considered of free
access to all the house, and the comfort or health of its occupant held
in utter derision and contempt!

Here then,--

"In the worst Inn's worst room, with cobwebs hung,
The walls of plaster and the floors of dung,"

entered Dashall and his Cousin Tallyho. The latter familiarly seating
himself on the ricketty remains of what had once been an arm-chair, but
now a cripple, having lost one of its legs, the precarious equilibrium
gave way under the unaccustomed shock of the contact, and the 'Squire
came to the ground, to his no small surprise, the confusion of the poet,
and amusement of Dashall!

With many apologies for the awkwardness of their very humble
accommodation, and grateful expression of thanks for the honour
conferred upon him, the Poet replaced Tallyho in a firmer seat, and a
silence of some few moments ensued, the two friends being at a loss in
what manner to explain, and the Poet unwilling to inquire the object of
their visit.

Dashall began at last, by observing that in pursuit of the knowledge of
Real Life in London, he and his accompanying friend had met with many
incidents both ludicrous and interesting; but that in the present
instance their visit was rather influenced by sympathy than ~347~~
curiosity, and that where they could be serviceable to the interest of
merit in obscurity, they always should be happy in the exercise of a
duty so perfectly congenial with their feelings.

Many years had elapsed since the person, to whom these remarks were
addressed, had heard the voice of consolation, and its effect was
instantaneous; his usual sombre cast of countenance became brightened by
the glow of cheerful animation, and he even dwelt on the subject of his
unfortunate circumstances with jocularity:

"The elevated proximity of a garret," he observed, "to the sublimer
r