en he draped his
flannels into the folds of the toga, and arranged the curls of his wig
so as to add more sublime effect to the majesty of his brow and the
terrors of its nod? And certainly, considering that Waife, after all,
was but a professional vagabond, considering all the turns and shifts to
which he has been put for bread and salt, the wonder is, not that he is
full of stage tricks and small deceptions, but that he has contrived to
retain at heart so much childish simplicity. When a man for a series of
years has only had his wits to live by, I say not that he is necessarily
a rogue,--he may be a good fellow; but you can scarcely expect his
code of honour to be precisely the same as Sir Philip Sidney's. Homer
expresses through the lips of Achilles that sublime love of truth
which even in those remote times was the becoming characteristic of a
gentleman and a soldier. But then, Achilles is well off during his whole
life, which, though distinguished, is short. On the other hand Ulysses,
who is sorely put to it, kept out of his property in Ithaca, and, in
short, living on his wits, is not the less befriended by the immaculate
Pallas because his wisdom savours somewhat of stage trick and sharp
practice. And as to convenient aliases and white fibs, where would have
been the use of his wits, if Ulysses had disdained such arts, and been
magnanimously munched up by Polyphemus? Having thus touched on the epic
side of Mr. Waife's character with the clemency due to human nature,
but with the caution required by the interests of society, permit him
to resume a "duplex course," sanctioned by ancient precedent, but not
commended to modern imitation.

Just as our travellers neared the town, the screech of a railway whistle
resounded towards the right,--a long train rushed from the jaws of a
tunnel and shot into the neighbouring station.

"How lucky!" exclaimed Waife; "make haste, my dear!"

Was he going to take the train? Pshaw! he was at his journey's end. He
was going to mix with the throng that would soon stream through those
white gates into the town; he was going to purloin the respectable
appearance of a passenger by the train. And so well did he act the part
of a bewildered stranger just vomited forth into unfamiliar places
by one of those panting steam monsters,--so artfully, amidst the
busy competition of nudging elbows, over-bearing shoulders, and
the impedimenta of carpet-bags, portmanteaus, babies in arms, and
shi