riptions, and a dirty lad, about thirteen years
old, was standing near with his basket to deliver the medicines to the
several addresses, as soon as they were ready. The young man behind the
counter, whose name was Brookes, was within eighteen months of serving
his time, when his friends intended to establish him on his own account,
and this was the reason which induced Mr Cophagus to take me, that I
might learn the business, and supply his place when he left. Mr
Brookes was a very quiet, amiable person, kind to me and the other boy
who carried out the medicines, and who had been taken by Mr Cophagus,
for his food and raiment. The porter told Mr Brookes who I was, and
left me. "Do you think that you will like to be an apothecary?" said
Mr Brookes to me, with a benevolent smile.

"Yes; I do not see why I should not," replied I.

"Stop a moment," said the lad who was waiting with the basket, looking
archly at me, "you hav'n't got through your _rudimans_ yet."

"Hold your tongue, Timothy," said Mr Brookes. "That you are not very
fond of the rudiments, as Mr Cophagus calls them, is very clear. Now
walk off as fast as you can with these medicines, sir--14, Spring
Street; 16, Cleaver Street, as before; and then to John Street, 55, Mrs
Smith's. Do you understand?"

"To be sure I do--can't I read? I reads all the directions, and all
your Latin stuff into the bargain--all your summen dusses, horez, diez,
cockly hairy. I mean to set up for myself one of these days."

"I'll knock you down one of these days, Mr Timothy, if you stay so long
as you do, looking at the print shops; that you may depend upon."

"I keep up all my learning that way," replied Timothy, walking off with
his load, turning his head round and laughing at me, as he quitted the
shop. Mr Brookes smiled, but said nothing.

As Timothy went out, in came Mr Cophagus. "Heh! Japhet--I see," said
he, putting up his cane, "nothing to do--bad--must work--um--and so on.
Mr Brookes--boy learn rudiments--good--and so on." Hereupon Mr
Cophagus took his cane from his nose, pointed to the large iron mortar,
and then walked away into the back parlour. Mr Brookes understood his
master, if I did not. He wiped out the mortar, threw in some drugs,
and, showing me how to use the pestle, left me to my work. In half an
hour I discovered why it was that Timothy had such an objection to what
Mr Cophagus facetiously termed the _rudiment_ of the profession. It
was dre