w^h give me Now to Eat Since Monday last, For
Which am Sure the Devil must have Come In to That Gentleman (Mr.
Tag-rag, he was only himself in a Situation in Holborn once, gett^g
the Business by marry^g the widow w^h wonder At for he is nothing
Particular to Look At.) I am y^rs

Humbly to Command Till Death (always Humbly Begging pardon for the
bad Conduct w^h was guilty of when In Liquor Especially On an Empty
Stomach, Having Taken Nothing all that Day excepting what I could
not Eat,)

"Your's most Resp^y
"TITTLEBAT TITMOUSE.

"P. S. Will Bring That young Man with Tears In his Eyes to Beg y^r
pardon Over again If You Like w^h will Solemnly Swear if Required
That he did It all of His _own_ Head And that Have given It him For
it in the Way That is Written Above And humbly Trust You Will make
Me So happy Once more by writing To Me (if it is only a Line) To
say You Have Thought No more of it T. T. No. 9 Closet C^t. Oxford
Street. 14/7/18--"

This exquisitely-skilful epistle might indeed have brought tears into
Mr. Quirk's eyes, if he had been _used_ to the melting mood, which he
was not; having never been seen actually to shed a tear but once--when
five-sixths of his little bill of costs (L196, 15s. 4d.) were taxed off
in an auction on a Bill of Exchange for L13.[7] As it was, he tweedled
the letter about in his hands for about five minutes, in a musing mood,
and then stepped with it into Mr. Gammon's room. That gentleman took the
letter with an air of curiosity, and read it over; at every sentence (if
indeed a sentence there was in it) bursting into soft laughter.

"Ha, ha, ha!" he laughed on concluding it--"a comical gentleman, Mr.
Titmouse, upon my honor!"

"Funny--isn't it rather?" interposed Mr. Quirk, standing with his hands
fumbling about in his breeches pockets.

"What a crawling despicable little rascal!--ha, ha, ha!"

"Why--I don't quite say that, either," said Quirk, doubtingly--"I--don't
exactly look at it in _that_ light!"

"My dear sir!" exclaimed Gammon, leaning back in his chair, and laughing
rather heartily, (at least for him.)

"You can't leave off that laugh of yours," said Quirk, a little tartly;
"but I must say I don't see anything in the letter to laugh at so
particularly. It is written in a most respectful manner, and shows a
proper feel