professed advanced views, which he endeavoured to redeem with
flavourless humour. There were also two young men who shared chambers
and took in pupils. Fine tales their laundress told of the state of
their sitting-room in the morning, the furniture thrown about, the
table-cloth drenched in whiskey.

There was a young man whose hobby was dress and chorus girls. There
was a young man whose hobby was pet birds; he talked about the
beautiful South American bird he had just bought, and he asked you to
come and see it taking its bath in the morning. Several persons were
writing law-books, which their authors hoped would rival _Chitty on
Contracts_.

The Temple, like a fatherland, never loses its influence over its
children. He who has lived in the Temple will return to the Temple.
All things are surrendered for the Temple. All distances are
traversed to reach the Temple. The Temple is never forgotten. The
briefless barrister, who left in despair and became Attorney-General
of New South Wales, grows homesick, surrenders his position, and
returns. The young squire wearies in his beautiful country house, and
his heart is fixed in the dingy chambers, which he cannot relinquish,
and for which wealth cannot compensate him. Even the poor clerks do
not forget the Temple, and on Saturday afternoons they prowl about
their old offices, and often give up lucrative employments. They are
drawn by the Temple as by a magnet, and must live again in the shadow
of the old inns. The laundresses' daughters pass into wealthy
domesticities, but sooner or later they return to drudge again in the
Temple.

"How awfully jolly!--I do enjoy an evening like this," said Mike,
when the guests had departed.

At that moment a faint footstep was heard on the landing; Hall rushed
to see who was there, and returned with two women. They explained
that they wanted a drink. Mike pressed them to make themselves at
home, and Hall opened another bottle.

"How comfortable you bachelors are here by yourselves," said one.

"I should think we are just; no fear of either of us being such fools
as to break up our home by getting married," replied Mike.

Sometimes Mike and Hall returned early from the restaurant, and wrote
from eight to eleven; then went out for a cup of coffee and a prowl,
beating up the Strand for women. They stayed out smoking and talking
at the corners till the streets were empty. Once they sent a couple
of harlots to rouse a learned old gentle