money in our pockets.

PART ONE, CHAPTER THREE.

I PERFORM A WONDERFUL CURE UPON SAINT JOHN LONG'S PRINCIPLE, HAVING
LITTLE OR NO PRINCIPLE OF MY OWN--I BEGIN TO PUZZLE MY HEAD WITH A
PROBLEM, OF ALL OTHERS MOST DIFFICULT TO SOLVE.

The success of our first attempt encouraged us to proceed; but afraid
that I might do some mischief, I asked of Mr Brookes the nature and
qualities of the various medicines, as he was mixing the prescriptions,
that I might avoid taking any of those which were poisonous. Mr
Brookes, pleased with my continual inquiries, gave me all the
information I could desire, and thus I gained, not only a great deal of
information, but also a great deal of credit with Mr Cophagus, to whom
Mr Brookes had made known my diligence and thirst for knowledge.

"Good--very good," said Mr Cophagus; "fine boy--learns his business--
M.D. one of these days--ride in his coach--um, and so on."
Nevertheless, at my second attempt, I made an awkward mistake, which
very near led to detection. An Irish labourer, more than half tipsy,
came in one evening, and asked whether we had such a thing as was called
"_A poor man's plaster_. By the powers, it will be a poor man's plaster
when it belongs to me; but they tell me that it is a sure and sartain
cure for the thumbago, as they call it, which I've at the small of my
back, and which is a hinder to my mounting up the ladder; so as it's
Saturday night, and I've just got the money, I'll buy the plaster first,
and then try what a little whisky inside will do; the devil's in it if
it won't be driven out of me between the two."

We had not that plaster in the shop, but we had blister plaster, and
Timothy, handing one to me, I proffered it to him. "And what may you be
after asking for this same?" inquired he.

The blister plasters were sold at a shilling each, when spread on paper,
so I asked him eighteen-pence, that we might pocket the extra sixpence.

"By the powers, one would think that you had made a mistake, and handed
me the rich man's plaster instead of the poor one's. It's less whisky
I'll have to drink, anyhow; but here's the money, and the top of the
morning to ye, seeing as how it's jist getting late."

Timothy and I laughed as we divided the sixpence. It appeared that
after taking his allowance of whisky, the poor fellow fixed the plaster
on his back when he went to bed, and the next morning found himself in a
condition not to be envied. It was a week be