y painting-room," replied Valentine. "Where you saw the pictures, and
saved Columbus, yesterday."

Mat considered for a moment--then suddenly brightened up, and began
to look quite intelligent again. "I'll come," he said, "as soon as you
like--the sooner the better," clapping his fist emphatically on the
table, and drinking to Valentine with his heartiest nod.

"That's a worthy, good-natured fellow!" cried Mr. Blyth, drinking to Mat
in return, with grateful enthusiasm. "The sooner the better, as you say.
Come to-morrow evening."

"All right. To-morrow evening," assented Mat. His left hand, as he
spoke, began to work stealthily round and round in his pocket, molding
into all sorts of strange shapes, that plastic substance, which had lain
hidden there ever since his shopping expedition in the morning.

"I should have asked you to come in the day-time," continued Valentine;
"but, as you know, Zack, I have the Golden Age to varnish, and one or
two little things to alter in the lower part of Columbus; and then, by
the latter end of the week, I must leave home to do those portraits in
the country which I told you of, and which are wanted before I thought
they would be. You will come with our friend, of course, Zack? I dare
say I shall have the order for you to study at the British Museum, by
to-morrow. As for the Private Drawing Academy--"

"No offense; but I can't stand seeing you stirring up them grounds in
the bottom of your glass any longer," Mat broke in here; taking away Mr.
Blyth's tumbler as he spoke, throwing the sediment of sugar, the lemon
pips, and the little liquor left to cover them, into the grate behind;
and then, hospitably devoting himself to the concoction of a second
supply of that palatable and innocuous beverage, the Squaw's Mixture.

"Half a glass," cried Mr. Blyth. "Weak--remember my wretched head for
drinking, and pray make it weak."

As he spoke, the clock of the neighboring parish church struck.

"Only nine," exclaimed Zack, referring ostentatiously to the watch which
he had taken out of pawn the day before. "Pass the rum, Mat, as soon as
you've done with it--put the kettle on to boil--and now, my lads, we'll
begin spending the evening in earnest!"

* * * * * *

If any fourth gentleman had been present to assist in "spending the
evening," as Zack chose to phrase it, at the small social _soiree_ in
Kirk Street; and if that gentleman had deserted the festive board as the
clock