at honesty is the best policy_.'

"When I heerd him say that, I springs right up on eend, like a rope
dancer. 'Give me your hand, Abednego,' sais I; 'you are a man, every
inch of you,' and I squeezed it so hard, it made his eyes water. 'I
always knowed you had an excellent head-piece,' sais I, 'and now I
see the heart is in the right place too. If you have thrown preachin'
overboard, you have kept your morals for ballast, any how. I feel kinder
proud of you; you are jist a fit representat_ive_ for our great nation.
You are a Socdolager, that's a fact. I approbate your notion; it's as
correct as a bootjack. For nations or individuals, it's all the same,
honesty _is_ the best policy, and no mistake. That,' sais I, 'is the
hill, Abednego, for Hope to pitch her tent on, and no mistake,' and I
put my finger to my nose, and winked.

"'Well,' sais he, 'it is; but you are a droll feller, Slick, there is
no standin' your jokes. I'll give you leave to larf if you like, but you
must give me leave to win if I can. Good bye. But mind, Sam, our
dignity is at stake. Let's have no more of Socdolagers, or Preachin', or
Clockmakin', or Hope pitchin' her tent. A word to the wise. Good bye.'

"Yes," said Mr. Slick, "I rather like Abednego's talk myself. I kinder
think that it will be respectable to be Attache to such a man as that.
But he is goin' out of town for some time, is the Socdolager. There is
an agricultural dinner, where he has to make a conciliation speech; and
a scientific association, where there is a piece of delicate brag and
a bit of soft sawder to do, and then there are visits to the nobility,
peep at manufactures, and all that sort of work, so he won't be in town
for a good spell, and until then, I can't go to Court, for he is to
introduce me himself. Pity that, but then it'll give me lots o' time to
study human natur, that is, if there is any of it left here, for I have
some doubts about that. Yes, he is an able lead horse, is Abednego; he
is a'most a grand preacher, a good poet, a first chop orator, a
great diplomater, and a top sawyer of a man, in short--he _is_ a
_Socdolager_."

CHAPTER XV. DINING OUT.

My visit to Germany was protracted beyond the period I had originally
designed; and, during my absence, Mr. Slick had been constantly in
company, either "dining out" daily, when in town, or visiting from one
house to another in the country.

I found him in great spirits. He assured me he had many capital st