oth in public and in private life, which is as
much one of the ennobling institutions of our happy country as--'

'As nigger slavery itself,' suggested Mr Brick.

'En--tirely so,' remarked the colonel.

'Pray,' said Martin, after some hesitation, 'may I venture to ask,
with reference to a case I observe in this paper of yours, whether the
Popular Instructor often deals in--I am at a loss to express it without
giving you offence--in forgery? In forged letters, for instance,' he
pursued, for the colonel was perfectly calm and quite at his ease,
'solemnly purporting to have been written at recent periods by living
men?'

'Well, sir!' replied the colonel. 'It does, now and then.'

'And the popular instructed--what do they do?' asked Martin.

'Buy 'em:' said the colonel.

Mr Jefferson Brick expectorated and laughed; the former copiously, the
latter approvingly.

'Buy 'em by hundreds of thousands,' resumed the colonel. 'We are a smart
people here, and can appreciate smartness.'

'Is smartness American for forgery?' asked Martin.

'Well!' said the colonel, 'I expect it's American for a good many things
that you call by other names. But you can't help yourself in Europe. We
can.'

'And do, sometimes,' thought Martin. 'You help yourselves with very
little ceremony, too!'

'At all events, whatever name we choose to employ,' said the colonel,
stooping down to roll the third empty bottle into a corner after the
other two, 'I suppose the art of forgery was not invented here sir?'

'I suppose not,' replied Martin.

'Nor any other kind of smartness I reckon?'

'Invented! No, I presume not.'

'Well!' said the colonel; 'then we got it all from the old country, and
the old country's to blame for it, and not the new 'un. There's an end
of THAT. Now, if Mr Jefferson Brick and you will be so good as to clear,
I'll come out last, and lock the door.'

Rightly interpreting this as the signal for their departure, Martin
walked downstairs after the war correspondent, who preceded him with
great majesty. The colonel following, they left the Rowdy Journal Office
and walked forth into the streets; Martin feeling doubtful whether
he ought to kick the colonel for having presumed to speak to him,
or whether it came within the bounds of possibility that he and his
establishment could be among the boasted usages of that regenerated
land.

It was clear that Colonel Diver, in the security of his strong position,
and in his perfect