nces which had brought his
new acquaintance and himself together, to take any notice of his own
personal condition, or to observe that his course over the pavement was
of a somewhat sinuous nature, as he walked home. It was only when he
pulled the door-key out of his pocket, and tried to put it into the
keyhole, that his attention was fairly directed to himself; and then
he discovered that his hands were helpless, and that he was also by no
means rigidly steady on his legs.

There are some men whose minds get drunk, and some men whose bodies get
drunk, under the influence of intoxicating liquor. Zack belonged to the
second class. He was perfectly capable of understanding what was said to
him, and of knowing what he said himself, long after his utterance
had grown thick, and his gait had become uncertain. He was now quite
conscious that his visit to the public-house had by no means tended to
sober him; and quite awake to the importance of noiselessly stealing up
to bed--but he was, at the same time, totally unable to put the key into
the door at the first attempt, or to look comfortably for the key-hole,
without previously leaning against the area railings at his side.

"Steady," muttered Zack, "I'm done for if I make any noise." Here he
felt for the keyhole, and guided the key elaborately, with his left
hand, into its proper place. He next opened the door, so quietly that
he was astonished at himself--entered the passage with marvelous
stealthiness--then closed the door again, and cried "Hush!" when he
found that he had let the lock go a little too noisily.

He listened before he attempted to light his candle. The air of the
house felt strangely close and hot, after the air out of doors. The dark
stillness above and around him was instinct with an awful and virtuous
repose; and was deepened ominously by the solemn _tick-tick_ of the
kitchen clock--never audible from the passage in the day time: terribly
and incomprehensibly distinct at this moment.

"I won't bolt the door," he whispered to himself, "till I have struck
a--" Here the unreliability of brandy as a curative agent in cases
of fermentation in the stomach, was palpably demonstrated by a sudden
return of the hiccuping fit. "Hush!" cried Zack for the second time;
terrified at the violence and suddenness of the relapse, and clapping
his hand to his mouth when it was too late.

After groping, on his knees, with extraordinary perseverance all round
the rim of h