Hard task, by writing, to convey a fair idea of this singular vagrant's
pleasant vein. It was not so much what he said as the way of saying it,
which gave to his desultory talk the charm of humour. He had certainly
seen an immense deal of life somehow or other; and without appearing at
the time to profit much by observation, without perhaps being
himself conscious that he did profit, there was something in the very
_enfantillage_ of his loosest prattle, by which, with a glance of the
one lustrous eye and a twist of the mobile lip, he could convey the
impression of an original genius playing with this round world of
ours--tossing it up, catching it again--easily as a child plays with its
party-coloured ball. His mere book-knowledge was not much to boast of,
though early in life he must have received a fair education. He had a
smattering of the ancient classics, sufficient, perhaps, to startle
the unlearned. If he had not read them, he had read about them; and at
various odds and ends of his life he had picked up acquaintance with
the popular standard modern writers. But literature with him was the
smallest stripe in the party-coloured ball. Still it was astonishing how
far and wide the Comedian could spread the sands of lore that the winds
had drifted round the door of his playful, busy intellect. Where,
for instance, could he ever have studied the nature and prospects of
Mechanics' Institutes? and yet how well he seemed to understand them.
Here, perhaps, his experience in one kind of audience helped him to the
key to all miscellaneous assemblages. In fine, the man was an actor;
and if he had thought fit to act the part of Professor Long himself, he
would have done it to the life.

The two burghers had not spent so pleasant an evening for many years.
As the clock struck twelve, the Mayor, whose gig had been in waiting a
whole hour to take him to his villa, rose reluctantly to depart.

"And," said Williams, "the bills must be out to-morrow. What shall we
advertise?"

"The simpler the better," said Waife; "only pray head the performance
with the assurance that it is under the special patronage of his worship
the Mayor."

The Mayor felt his breast swell as if he had received some overwhelming
personal obligation.

"Suppose it run thus," continued the Comedian,--"Illustrations from
Domestic Life and Natural History, with LIVE examples: PART FIRST--THE
DOG!"

"It will take," said the Mayor: "dogs are such popular anima