aded footman. 'Very
agreeable servants, sir.'

'I should think they wos,' replied Sam. 'Affable, unaffected,
say-nothin'-to-nobody sorts o' fellers.'

'Oh, very much so, indeed, sir,' said the powdered-headed footman,
taking Sam's remarks as a high compliment. 'Very much so indeed. Do you
do anything in this way, Sir?' inquired the tall footman, producing a
small snuff-box with a fox's head on the top of it.

'Not without sneezing,' replied Sam.

'Why, it IS difficult, sir, I confess,' said the tall footman. 'It may
be done by degrees, Sir. Coffee is the best practice. I carried coffee,
Sir, for a long time. It looks very like rappee, sir.'

Here, a sharp peal at the bell reduced the powdered-headed footman to
the ignominious necessity of putting the fox's head in his pocket, and
hastening with a humble countenance to Mr. Bantam's 'study.' By the bye,
who ever knew a man who never read or wrote either, who hadn't got some
small back parlour which he WOULD call a study!

'There is the answer, sir,' said the powdered-headed footman. 'I'm
afraid you'll find it inconveniently large.'

'Don't mention it,' said Sam, taking a letter with a small enclosure.
'It's just possible as exhausted natur' may manage to surwive it.'

'I hope we shall meet again, Sir,' said the powdered-headed footman,
rubbing his hands, and following Sam out to the door-step.

'You are wery obligin', sir,' replied Sam. 'Now, don't allow yourself to
be fatigued beyond your powers; there's a amiable bein'. Consider what
you owe to society, and don't let yourself be injured by too much work.
For the sake o' your feller-creeturs, keep yourself as quiet as you can;
only think what a loss you would be!' With these pathetic words, Sam
Weller departed.

'A very singular young man that,' said the powdered-headed footman,
looking after Mr. Weller, with a countenance which clearly showed he
could make nothing of him.

Sam said nothing at all. He winked, shook his head, smiled, winked
again; and, with an expression of countenance which seemed to denote
that he was greatly amused with something or other, walked merrily away.

At precisely twenty minutes before eight o'clock that night, Angelo
Cyrus Bantam, Esq., the Master of the Ceremonies, emerged from his
chariot at the door of the Assembly Rooms in the same wig, the same
teeth, the same eye-glass, the same watch and seals, the same rings, the
same shirt-pin, and the same cane. The only observable al