companion were close upon them, and pausing in their
work, returned their looks of curiosity. One of them, the
actual exhibitor no doubt, was a little merry-faced man with
a twinkling eye and a red nose, who seemed to have uncon-
sciously imbibed something of his hero's character. The
other--that was he who took the money--had rather a
careful and cautious look, which was perhaps inseparable
from his occupation also.

The merry man was the first to greet the strangers with
a nod; and following the old man's eyes, he observed that
perhaps that was the first time he had ever seen a Punch
off the stage. (Punch, it may be remarked, seemed to be
pointing with the tip of his cap to a most flourishing
epitaph, and to be chuckling over it with all his heart.)

"Why do you come here to do this?" said the old man,
sitting down beside them, and looking at the figures with
extreme delight.

"Why you see," rejoined the little man, "we're putting
up for to-night at the public-house yonder, and it wouldn't
do to let 'em see the present company undergoing repair."

"No!" cried the old man, making signs to Nell to listen,
"why not, eh? why not?"

"Because it would destroy all the delusion, and take
away all the interest, wouldn't it?" replied the little man.
"Would you care a ha'penny for the Lord Chancellor if
you know'd him in private and without his wig--certainly
not."

"Good!" said the old man, venturing to touch one of
the puppets, and drawing away his hand with a shrill
laugh. "Are you going to show 'em to-night? are you?"

"That is the intention, governor," replied the other,
"and unless I'm much mistaken, Tommy Codlin is a
calculating at this minute what we've lost through your
coming upon us. Cheer up, Tommy, it can't be much."

The little man accompanied these latter words with a
wink, expressive of the estimate he had formed of the
travellers' finances.

To this Mr. Codlin, who had a surly, grumbling manner,
replied, as he twitched Punch off the tombstone and flung
him into the box,
"I don't care if we haven't lost a farden, but you're too
free. If you stood in front of the curtain and see the
public's faces as I do, you'd know human natur' better."

"Ah! it's been the spoiling of you, Tommy, your

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