peaking.
"Aren't you going up the court?"

"I do not choose to go into the muddy road, sir, because you and your
party take upon yourselves to block up the public way," retorted Andrew,
giving the man so fierce a look that for a moment or two he was somewhat
abashed, and his companions, influenced by the stronger will of one who
was in the right, began to make way for the well-dressed pair.

But the first man found his tongue directly.

"Here, clear the road!" he cried banteringly. "Make way, you dirty
blackguards, for my lords. Lie down, some of you, and let 'em walk over
you. Lost your way, my lords? Why didn't you come in your carriages,
with horse soldiers before and behind? But it's no use to-day; the Lord
Mayor's gone out to dinner with his wife."

A roar of coarse laughter followed this sally, which increased as
another man shouted in imitation of military commands:

"Heads up; draw skewers; right forward; ma-rr-rr-ch!"

"Scum!" said Andrew contemptuously, as they left the little crowd
behind.

"Is the city always like this?" said Frank, whose face now was as red as
his companion's.

"Yes, now," said Andrew bitterly. "That's a specimen of a Whig mob."

"Nonsense!" cried Frank, rather warmly; "don't be so prejudiced. How
can you tell that they are Whigs?"

"By the way in which they jumped at a chance to insult gentlemen. Horse
soldiers indeed! Draw swords! Oh! I should like to be at the head of
a troop, to give the order and chase the dirty ruffians out of the
street, and make my men thrash them with the flats of their blades till
they went down on their knees in the mud and howled for mercy."

"What a furious fire-eater you are, Drew," cried Frank, recovering his
equanimity. "We ought to have stepped out into the road."

"For a set of jeering ruffians like that!" cried Andrew. "No. They
hate to see a gentleman go by. London is getting disgraceful now."

"Never mind. There, I've seen enough of it. Let's get down to the
river again, and take a boat; it's much pleasanter than being in this
noisy, crowded place."

"Not yet. We've a better right here than a mob like that. It would be
running away."

"Why, how would they know?" said Frank merrily.

"I should know, and feel as if I had disgraced myself," replied Andrew
haughtily. "Besides, I wanted to see a gentleman."

"What, up that court?" said Frank, looking curiously at his companion.

"Yes, a gentleman up that court. Ther