not his fortunes suddenly been irradiated by the
birth in his mind of a happy thought. It came to him in this wise: He
was standing drearily in front of a ready-made clothing store on
Broadway, sadly contemplating a wooden figure clad in precisely the
morning suit for which his soul panted, when suddenly something gave
him a whack in the back. Turning sharply, and making use of an
exclamation not to be found in the French dictionaries compiled for the
use of young ladies' boarding-schools, he perceived a wooden framework,
from the lower end of which protruded the legs of a man. From a cleft
in the upper portion of the framework came the apologetic utterance,
"Didn't mean ter hit yer, boss," and then the structure moved slowly
away through the throng. Over its four sides, he observed, were
blazoned announcements of the excellences of the garments manufactured
by the very clothing establishment in front of which he stood.

The thought came idly into his mind that this method of advertising was
clumsy, and not especially effective; followed by the further thought
that a much better plan would be to set agoing upon the streets a
really gentlemanly-looking man, clad in the best garments that the
tailoring people manufactured--while a handsome sign upon the man's
back, or a silken banner proudly borne aloft, should tell where the
clothes were made, and how, for two weeks only, clothes equally
excellent could be bought there at a tremendous sacrifice. And then
came into his mind the great thought of his life: he would disguise
himself by changing his blond hair and beard to gray, and by wearing
dark eye-glasses, and thus disguised he would be that man! Detection he
believed to be impossible, for merely dressing himself in respectable
clothes almost would suffice to prevent his recognition by even the
nearest of his friends. With that prompt decision which is the sure
sign of genius backed by force of character, he paused no longer to
consider. He acted. With a firm step he entered the clothing
establishment; with dignity demanded a personal interview with its
proprietor; with eloquence presented to that personage his scheme.

"You will understand, sare," he said, in conclusion, "that these
clothes such as yours see themselves in the best way when they are
carried by a man very well made, and who 'as the air _comme il faut_. I
'ave not the custom to say that I am justly that man. But now we talk
of _affaires_. Look at me and s