Mr. Chops shook that deep Ed of his to a surprisin' extent, and slapped it
half a dozen times with his hand, and with more wice than I thought were
in him. Then he says:

"You're a good feller, but you don't understand. Good night, go long.
Magsman, the little man will now walk three times around the Cairawan, and
retire behind the curtain."

The last I see of him on that occasion was his tryin', on the extremest
verge of insensibility, to climb up the stairs, one by one, with his hands
and knees. They'd have been much too steep for him if he had been sober;
but he wouldn't be helped.

It warn't long after that, that I read in the newspaper of Mr. Chops's
being presented at court. It was printed:

"It will be recollected"--and I've noticed in my life that it is sure to
be printed that it _will_ be recollected whenever it won't--"that Mr.
Chops is the individual of small stature whose brilliant success in the
last State Lottery attracted so much attention."

"Well," I said to myself, "such is life! He has done it in earnest at
last! He has astonished George the Fourth!"

On account of which I had that canvas new painted, him with a bag of money
in his hand, a presentin' it to George the Fourth, and a lady in ostrich
feathers fallin' in love with him in a bagwig, sword, and buckles correct.

I took the house as is the subject of present inquiries--though not the
honor of being acquainted--and I run Magsman's Amusements in it thirteen
months--sometimes one thing, sometimes another, sometimes nothin'
particular, but always all the canvases outside. One night, when we had
played the last company out, which was a shy company through its raining
heavens hard, I was takin' a pipe in the one pair back, along with the
young man with the toes, which I had taken on for a month (though he never
drawed--except on paper), and I heard a kickin' at the street door.

"Halloa!" I says to the young man, "what's up?"

He rubs his eye-brows with his toes, and he says:

"I can't imagine, Mr. Magsman"--which he never could imagine nothin', and
was monotonous company.

The noise not leavin' off, I laid down my pipe, and I took up a candle,
and I went down and opened the door. I looked out into the street; but
nothin' could I see, and nothin' was I aware of, until I turned round
quick, because some creeter run between my legs into the passage.

There was Mr. Chops!

"Magsman," he says, "take me on the hold terms, and you've got