rship
business. 'T was a difficult thing for him to preserve his temper under
such circumstances, in his close intimacy with Titmouse, who had so
grievously interfered with his prospects.

The indisposition I have been mentioning, prevented Titmouse from paying
his promised visit to Satin Lodge. On returning to his lodgings from
Alibi House, he found that Tag-rag had either called or sent every day
to inquire after him with the most affectionate anxiety; and one or two
notes lying on his table apprised him of the lively distress which the
ladies of Satin Lodge were enduring on his account, and implored him to
lose not a moment in communicating the state of his health, and
personally assuring them of his safety. Though the image of Miss Quirk
was continually before his eyes, Titmouse, nevertheless, had cunning
enough not to drop the slightest hint to the Tag-rags of the true state
of his feelings. Whenever any inquiry, with ill-disguised anxiety, was
made by Mrs. Tag-rag concerning Alibi House and its inmates, Titmouse
would, to be sure, mention Miss Quirk, but in such a careless and
slighting way as gave great consolation and encouragement to Tag-rag,
his wife, and daughter. "Miss Quirk," he said, "was well enough--but
devilish fat!"--When at Mr. Quirk's, he spoke somewhat unreservedly of
the amiable inmates of Satin Lodge. These two mansions were almost the
only private residences visited by Titmouse, who spent his time much in
the way which I have already described. How he got through his _days_ I
can hardly tell. At his lodgings he got up very late, and went to bed
very late. He never read anything excepting occasionally a song-book
lent him by Snap, or a novel, or some such book as "Boxiana," from the
circulating library, and the _Sunday Flash_. Dawdling over his dress and
his breakfast, then whistling and humming and looking out of the window,
took up so much of every day as he passed at his lodgings. The rest was
spent in idling about the town, looking in at shop windows, and now and
then going to some petty exhibition--as of sparring, cock-fighting, etc.
When evening came, he was generally joined by Snap, when they would
spend the night together in the manner I have already described. As
often as he dared, he called at Messrs. Quirk, Gammon, and Snap's office
at Saffron Hill, worrying them not a little by inquiries concerning the
state of his affairs, and the cause of the delay in commencing
proceedings. As for H