on in the
wilder gardens of My country.'

There is little doubt that Chollop would have planted this standard in
Eden at Mark's expense, in return for his plainness of speech (for the
genuine Freedom is dumb, save when she vaunts herself), but for the
utter desolation and decay prevailing in the settlement, and his own
approaching departure from it. As it was, he contented himself with
showing Mark one of the revolving-pistols, and asking him what he
thought of that weapon.

'It ain't long since I shot a man down with that, sir, in the State of
IllinOY,' observed Chollop.

'Did you, indeed!' said Mark, without the smallest agitation. 'Very free
of you. And very independent!'

'I shot him down, sir,' pursued Chollop, 'for asserting in the Spartan
Portico, a tri-weekly journal, that the ancient Athenians went a-head of
the present Locofoco Ticket.'

'And what's that?' asked Mark.

'Europian not to know,' said Chollop, smoking placidly. 'Europian
quite!'

After a short devotion to the interests of the magic circle, he resumed
the conversation by observing:

'You won't half feel yourself at home in Eden, now?'

'No,' said Mark, 'I don't.'

'You miss the imposts of your country. You miss the house dues?'
observed Chollop.

'And the houses--rather,' said Mark.

'No window dues here, sir,' observed Chollop.

'And no windows to put 'em on,' said Mark.

'No stakes, no dungeons, no blocks, no racks, no scaffolds, no
thumbscrews, no pikes, no pillories,' said Chollop.

'Nothing but rewolwers and bowie-knives,' returned Mark. 'And what are
they? Not worth mentioning!'

The man who had met them on the night of their arrival came crawling up
at this juncture, and looked in at the door.

'Well, sir,' said Chollop. 'How do YOU git along?'

He had considerable difficulty in getting along at all, and said as much
in reply.

'Mr Co. And me, sir,' observed Chollop, 'are disputating a piece. He
ought to be slicked up pretty smart to disputate between the Old World
and the New, I do expect?'

'Well!' returned the miserable shadow. 'So he had.'

'I was merely observing, sir,' said Mark, addressing this new visitor,
'that I looked upon the city in which we have the honour to live, as
being swampy. What's your sentiments?'

'I opinionate it's moist perhaps, at certain times,' returned the man.

'But not as moist as England, sir?' cried Chollop, with a fierce
expression in his face.

'Oh! Not as moist as England