d you farewell for this evening."

"I'm glad of that," said Timothy, "for now I mean to sell my own
medicine."

"Your medicine, Mr Dionysius! what do you mean by that?"

"Mean, sir; I mean to say that I've got a powder of my own contriving,
which is a sovereign remedy."

"Remedy, sir, for what?"

"Why, it's a powder to kill fleas, and what's more, it's just as
infallible as your own."

"Have you, indeed; and pray, sir, how did you hit upon the invention?"

"Sir, I discovered it in my sleep by accident; but I have proved it, and
I will say, if properly administered, it is quite as infallible as any
of yours. Ladies and gentlemen, I pledge you my honour that it will have
the effect desired, and all I ask is sixpence a powder."

"But how is it to be used, sir?"

"Used--why, like all other powders; but I won't give the directions till
I have sold some; promising, however, if my method does not succeed, to
return the money."

"Well, that is fair, Mr Dionysius; and I will take care that you keep
your bargain. Will anybody purchase the fool's powder for killing
fleas."

"Yes, I will," replied a man on the broad grin, "here's sixpence. Now,
then, fool, how am I to use it?"

"Use it," said Timothy, putting the sixpence in his pocket; "I'll
explain to you. You must first catch the flea, hold him so tight between
the forefinger and thumb as to force him to open his mouth; when his
mouth is open you must put a very little of this powder into it, and it
will kill him directly."

"Why, when I have the flea as tight as you state, I may as well kill him
myself."

"Very true, so you may, if you prefer it; but if you do not, you may use
this powder, which upon my honour is infallible."

This occasioned a great deal of mirth among the bystanders. Timothy kept
his sixpence, and our exhibition for this day ended, very much to the
satisfaction of Melchior, who declared he had taken more than ever he
had done before in a whole week. Indeed, the whole sum amounted to L17,
10s., all taken in shillings and sixpences, for articles hardly worth
the odd shillings in the account; so we sat down to supper with
anticipations of a good harvest, and so it proved. We stayed four days
at this town, and then proceeded onwards, when the like success attended
us, Timothy and I being obliged to sit up nearly the whole night to
label and roll up pills, and mix medicines, which we did in a very
scientific manner. Nor was it always that Melch