adulterated his brandy;
and the conversation was becoming general, when it was interrupted
by the entrance into the shop of a boy, in a sober gray livery and a
gold-laced hat, with a small covered basket under his arm, whom Mr. Bob
Sawyer immediately hailed with, 'Tom, you vagabond, come here.'

The boy presented himself accordingly.

'You've been stopping to "over" all the posts in Bristol, you idle young
scamp!' said Mr. Bob Sawyer.

'No, sir, I haven't,' replied the boy.

'You had better not!' said Mr. Bob Sawyer, with a threatening aspect.
'Who do you suppose will ever employ a professional man, when they see
his boy playing at marbles in the gutter, or flying the garter in the
horse-road? Have you no feeling for your profession, you groveller? Did
you leave all the medicine?' 'Yes, Sir.'

'The powders for the child, at the large house with the new family,
and the pills to be taken four times a day at the ill-tempered old
gentleman's with the gouty leg?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Then shut the door, and mind the shop.'

'Come,' said Mr. Winkle, as the boy retired, 'things are not quite so
bad as you would have me believe, either. There is SOME medicine to be
sent out.'

Mr. Bob Sawyer peeped into the shop to see that no stranger was within
hearing, and leaning forward to Mr. Winkle, said, in a low tone--

'He leaves it all at the wrong houses.'

Mr. Winkle looked perplexed, and Bob Sawyer and his friend laughed.

'Don't you see?' said Bob. 'He goes up to a house, rings the area bell,
pokes a packet of medicine without a direction into the servant's hand,
and walks off. Servant takes it into the dining-parlour; master opens
it, and reads the label: "Draught to be taken at bedtime--pills as
before--lotion as usual--the powder. From Sawyer's, late Nockemorf's.
Physicians' prescriptions carefully prepared," and all the rest of
it. Shows it to his wife--she reads the label; it goes down to the
servants--THEY read the label. Next day, boy calls: "Very sorry--his
mistake--immense business--great many parcels to deliver--Mr. Sawyer's
compliments--late Nockemorf." The name gets known, and that's the thing,
my boy, in the medical way. Bless your heart, old fellow, it's better
than all the advertising in the world. We have got one four-ounce bottle
that's been to half the houses in Bristol, and hasn't done yet.'

'Dear me, I see,' observed Mr. Winkle; 'what an excellent plan!'

'Oh, Ben and I have hit upon a dozen such,'