reatest personages in the land. The simple and kind-hearted
Percy Popjoy was brought to bear upon Mrs. Bungay, whom he informed
that his friend Pendennis was occupied upon a work of the most exciting
nature; a work that the whole town would run after, full of wit, genius,
satire, pathos, and every conceivable good quality. We have said before,
that Bungay knew no more about novels than he did about Hebrew or
Algebra, and neither read nor understood any of the books which he
published and paid for; but he took his opinions from his professional
advisers and from Mrs. B., and, evidently with a view to a commercial
transaction, asked Pendennis and Warrington to dinner again.

Bacon, when he found that Bungay was about to treat, of course, began
to be anxious and curious, and desired to outbid his rival. Was anything
settled between Mr. Pendennis and the odious house "over the way"
about the new book? Mr. Hack, the confidential reader, was told to make
inquiries, and see if any thing was to be done, and the result of the
inquiries of that diplomatist was, that one morning, Bacon himself
toiled up the staircase of Lamb Court and to the door on which the names
of Mr. Warrington, and Mr. Pendennis, were painted.

For a gentleman of fashion as poor Pen was represented to be, it must be
confessed, that the apartments he and his friend occupied were not very
suitable. The ragged carpet had grown only more ragged during the two
years of joint occupancy: a constant odour of tobacco perfumed the
sitting-room: Bacon tumbled over the laundress's buckets in the passage
through which he had to pass; Warrington's shooting-jacket was as
tattered at the elbows as usual; and the chair which Bacon was requested
to take on entering, broke down with the publisher. Warrington burst out
laughing, said that Bacon had got the game chair, and bawled out to Pen
to fetch a sound one from his bedroom. And seeing the publisher looking
round the dingy room with an air of profound pity and wonder, asked him
whether he didn't think the apartments were elegant, and if he would
like, for Mrs. Bacon's drawing-room, any of the articles of furniture?
Mr. Warrington's character as a humourist was known to Mr. Bacon: "I
never can make that chap out," the publisher was heard to say, "or tell
whether he is in earnest or only chaffing."

It is very possible that Mr. Bacon would have set the two gentlemen
down as impostors altogether, but that there chanced to be o