s, made
upon the fireman's principle, in which, with the addition of a
low-crowned, flower-pot-saucer-shaped hat, he had created no
inconsiderable sensation at the Albion in Little Russell-street, and
divers other places of public and fashionable resort.

Mr. Potter and Mr. Smithers had mutually agreed that, on the receipt of
their quarter's salary, they would jointly and in company 'spend the
evening'--an evident misnomer--the spending applying, as everybody knows,
not to the evening itself but to all the money the individual may chance
to be possessed of, on the occasion to which reference is made; and they
had likewise agreed that, on the evening aforesaid, they would 'make a
night of it'--an expressive term, implying the borrowing of several hours
from to-morrow morning, adding them to the night before, and
manufacturing a compound night of the whole.

The quarter-day arrived at last--we say at last, because quarter-days are
as eccentric as comets: moving wonderfully quick when you have a good
deal to pay, and marvellously slow when you have a little to receive.
Mr. Thomas Potter and Mr. Robert Smithers met by appointment to begin the
evening with a dinner; and a nice, snug, comfortable dinner they had,
consisting of a little procession of four chops and four kidneys,
following each other, supported on either side by a pot of the real
draught stout, and attended by divers cushions of bread, and wedges of
cheese.

When the cloth was removed, Mr. Thomas Potter ordered the waiter to bring
in, two goes of his best Scotch whiskey, with warm water and sugar, and a
couple of his 'very mildest' Havannahs, which the waiter did. Mr. Thomas
Potter mixed his grog, and lighted his cigar; Mr. Robert Smithers did the
same; and then, Mr. Thomas Potter jocularly proposed as the first toast,
'the abolition of all offices whatever' (not sinecures, but
counting-houses), which was immediately drunk by Mr. Robert Smithers,
with enthusiastic applause. So they went on, talking politics, puffing
cigars, and sipping whiskey-and-water, until the 'goes'--most
appropriately so called--were both gone, which Mr. Robert Smithers
perceiving, immediately ordered in two more goes of the best Scotch
whiskey, and two more of the very mildest Havannahs; and the goes kept
coming in, and the mild Havannahs kept going out, until, what with the
drinking, and lighting, and puffing, and the stale ashes on the table,
and the tallow-grease on the cigars, M