d it over with leaves, and pursued his
original intention of regaining the city, and before night was once more
beneath the roof of a late associate.

He remained for several days perfectly quiet and inactive; but finding
no search was instituted for him, he, little by little, resumed his old
habits, and, as many knew to their cost, his old overbearing temper.

[Illustration: SELLING THE NATIVES.]

Among the tastes prevailing to an immense extent in the community of
Caneville, a great love for those dainties which we call oysters had
always been remarkable. It occurred to Bruin, as he had now some
trifling capital, that he would invest a portion in such articles as
made up the fixtures and stock-in-trade of an oyster-merchant: the
former expression is, however, a misnomer, for the stall and tubs
included under the term fixtures would be more properly described as
moveables. This was soon effected; and Bruin having chosen a
semi-respectable thoroughfare, where he would have a chance of a
customer or two from the upper, and would not be too far removed from
the lower class of Caneville society, he planted his stall, arranged his
tubs, spruced up his own person with the addition of a most formidable
collar and a most doubtfully clean apron, and vociferated his "Penny a
lot, pups! penny a lot!" in a way which greatly edified the bystanders.
The bystanders were, however, soon induced to become purchasers, for
very few of them could resist oysters, if they had the wherewithal to
purchase them; and Bruin's natives were so fine and fresh, and he had so
clever a knack of opening them, that it was really worth the money to
see him do that, and many actually went there for the purpose: so that
it really seemed he had at last hit upon a business for which he was
entirely suited, which met also the public views, and that a short time
would enable him, with prudence, to save provision for his old age.

But, alas, the perversity of bears! No sooner did anything like a smile
from Fortune's face alight upon him, than he seemed resolved, by his
uncompromising temper, to turn it to a frown! As long as the business
was new to him, he took pleasure in performing the duties belonging to
it in a proper manner; a little roughly, it may be, but still--properly.
Directly it grew familiar, he became careless; and he had a most wilful
habit of aggravating his customers, which could not, of course, continue
without seriously injuring his trade.