ent necessities, even out of my own
resources."

[Oh, Gammon, Gammon!]

"How very uncommon kind of you, sir!" exclaimed Titmouse.

"Not in the least, my dear sir--(pray fill another glass, Mr. Titmouse!)
You see Mr. Quirk is quite a man of business--and our profession too
often affords instances of persons whose hearts contract as their purses
expand, Mr. Titmouse--ha! ha! Indeed, those who make their money as hard
as Mr. Quirk, are apt to be slow at parting with it, and _very_
suspicious!"

"Well, I hope no offence, sir; but really I thought as much, directly I
saw that old gent."

"Ah--but _now_ he is embarked, heart and soul, in the affair."

"No! _Is_ he really, sir?" inquired Titmouse, eagerly.

"That is," replied Gammon, quickly, "so long as I am at his elbow,
urging him on--for he wants some one who--hem! In fact, my dear sir,
ever since I had the good fortune to make the discovery, which happily
brought us acquainted with each other, Mr. Titmouse," [it was old Quirk,
as the reader will by and by find, who had made the discovery, and
Gammon had for a long time thrown cold water on it,] "I have been doing
all I could with him, and I trust I may say, have at last got the thing
into shape."

"I'll take my oath, sir," said Titmouse, excitedly, "I never was so much
struck with any one in all my born days as I was with you, sir, when you
first came to my emp--to Mr. Tag-rag's, sir--Lord, sir, how uncommon
sharp you seemed!" Gammon smiled with a deprecating air, and sipped his
wine in silence; but there was great sweetness in the expression of his
countenance. Poor Titmouse's doubts, hopes, and fears, were rapidly
being sublimed into a _reverence_ for Gammon....

"I certainly quite agree with Mr. Quirk," said Gammon, presently, "that
the difficulties in our way are of the most serious description. To
speak, for an instant only, of the risks we ourselves incur
personally--would you believe it, my dear Mr. Titmouse?--in such a
disgraceful state are our laws, that we can't gratify our feelings by
taking up your cause, without rendering ourselves liable to imprisonment
for Heaven knows how long, and a fine that would be ruin itself, if we
should be found out!"

Titmouse continued silent, his wine-glass in his hand arrested in its
way to his mouth; which, together with his eyes, was opened to its
widest extent, as he stared with a kind of terror upon Mr.
Gammon.--"_Are_ we, then, unreasonable, my dear sir, in en