fore we saw him again, and
much to the horror of Timothy and myself, he walked into the shop when
Mr Brookes was employed behind the counter. Timothy perceived him
before he saw us, and pulling me behind the large mortar, we contrived
to make our escape into the back parlour, the door of which we held ajar
to hear what would take place.

"Murder and turf!" cried the man; "but that was the devil's own plaster
that you gave me here for my back, and it left me as raw as a turnip,
taking every bit of my skin off me entirely, forebye my lying in bed for
a whole week, and losing my day's work."

"I ready do not recollect supplying you with a plaster, my good man,"
replied Mr Brookes.

"Then, by the piper that played before Moses, if you don't recollect it,
I've an idea that I shall never forget it. Sure enough, it cured me,
but wasn't I quite kilt before I was cured?"

"It must have been some other shop," observed Mr Brookes. "You have
made a mistake."

"Devil a bit of mistake, except in selling me the plaster. Didn't I get
it of a lad in this same shop?"

"Nobody sells things out of this shop without my knowledge."

The Irishman was puzzled--he looked round the shop. "Well, then, if
this a'n't the shop, it was own sister to it."

"Timothy," called Mr Brookes.

"And sure enough there was a Timothy in the other shop, for I heard the
boy call the other by the name; however, it's no matter if it took off
the skin, it also took away the thumbago, so the morning to you, Mr
Pottykary."

When the Irishman departed, we made our appearance. "Japhet, did you
sell a plaster to an Irishman?"

"Yes--don't you recollect, last Saturday? and I gave you the shilling."

"Very true; but what did he ask for?"

"He asked for a plaster, but he was very tipsy. I showed him a blister,
and he took it;" and then I looked at Timothy and laughed.

"You must not play such tricks," said Mr Brookes. "I see what you have
been about--it was a joke to you, but not to him."

Mr Brookes, who imagined we had sold it to the Irishman out of fun,
then gave us a very severe lecture, and threatened to acquaint Mr
Cophagus if ever we played such tricks again. Thus the affair blew
over, and it made me very careful; and, as every day I knew more about
medicines, I was soon able to mix them, so as to be of service to those
who applied, and before eighteen months had expired, I was trusted with
the mixing up of all the prescriptions. At the en