As soon as the negus had arrived, accompanied by
two sea-biscuits, which looked so hard and hopeless that they would have
made the nerves thrill within the teeth of him that meditated attempting
to masticate them, the candle was lit; Huckaback handed a cigar to his
friend; and both began to puff away, and chatter pleasantly concerning
the many events and scenes of the day.

"Anything stirring in to-day's 'Flash?'" inquired Titmouse, as his eye
caught sight of a copy of that able and interesting Sunday newspaper,
the "SUNDAY FLASH," which Huckaback had hired for the evening from the
news-shop on the ground-floor of his lodgings.

Mr. Huckaback removed his cigar from his mouth, and holding it between
the first and second fingers of his right hand, in a knowing style, with
closed eyes and inflated cheeks, very slowly ejected the smoke which he
had last inhaled, and rose and got the paper from the top of the
drawers.

"Here's a mark of a beastly porter-pot that's been set upon it, by all
that's holy! It's been at the public-house! Too bad of Mrs. Coggs to
send it me up in this state!" said he, handling it as though its touch
were contamination.--(He was to pay only a halfpenny for the perusal of
it.) "Faugh! how it stinks!"

"What a horrid beast she must be!" exclaimed Titmouse, after, in like
manner as his friend, expelling his mouthful of smoke. "But, since
better can't be had, let's hear what news is in it. Demmee! it's the
only paper published, in my opinion, that's worth reading!--Any fights
astirring?"

"Haven't come to them yet; give a man _time_, Titty!" replied Huckaback,
fixing his feet on another chair, and drawing the candle closer to the
paper. "It says, by the way, that the Duke of Dunderhead is certainly
making up to Mrs. Thumps, the rich cheesemonger's widow;--a precious
good hit that, isn't it? You know the Duke's as poor as a rat!"

"Oh! _that's_ no news. It's been in the papers for I don't know how
long. Egad, 't will quite set him up--and no mistake. Seen the Duke
ever?"

"Ye--es! Oh, several times!" replied Huckaback. This was a lie, and
Huckaback knew that it was.

"Deuced good-looking, I suppose?"

"Why--middling; I should say middling. Know _some_ that needn't fear to
compare with _him_--eh! Tit?"--and Huckaback winked archly at his
friend, meaning him, however, to consider the words as applicable to the
speaker.

"Ah, ha, ha!--a pretty joke! But come, that's a good chap!--You can't be