nt to support its existence in a
place which, though well populated, was not fashionable. It had not long
been established there, and was the enterprise of an incoming man whose
whole course of procedure seemed to be dictated by an intention to
astonish the native citizens very considerably before he had done. Nearly
everything was glass in the frontage of this fairy mart, and its contents
glittered like the hammochrysos stone. The panes being of plate-glass,
and the shop having two fronts, a diagonal view could be had through it
from one to the other of the streets to which it formed a corner.

This evening, as on all evenings, a flood of radiance spread from the
window-lamps into the thick autumn air, so that from a distance that
corner appeared as the glistening nucleus of all the light in the town.
Towards it idle men and women unconsciously bent their steps, and closed
in upon the panes like night-birds upon the lantern of a lighthouse.

When Christopher reached the spot there stood close to the pavement a
plain close carriage, apparently waiting for some person who was
purchasing inside. Christopher would hardly have noticed this had he not
also perceived, pressed against the glass of the shop window, an unusual
number of local noses belonging to overgrown working lads, tosspots, an
idiot, the ham-smoker's assistant with his sleeves rolled up, a scot-and-
lot freeholder, three or four seamstresses, the young woman who brought
home the washing, and so on. The interest of these gazers in some
proceedings within, which by reason of the gaslight were as public as if
carried on in the open air, was very great.

'Yes, that's what he's a buying o'--haw, haw!' said one of the young men,
as the shopman removed from the window a gorgeous blue velvet tray of
wedding-rings, and laid it on the counter.

''Tis what you may come to yerself, sooner or later, God have mercy upon
ye; and as such no scoffing matter,' said an older man. 'Faith, I'd as
lief cry as laugh to see a man in that corner.'

'He's a gent getting up in years too. He must hev been through it a few
times afore, seemingly, to sit down and buy the tools so cool as that.'

'Well, no. See what the shyest will do at such times. You bain't
yerself then; no man living is hisself then.'

'True,' said the ham-smoker's man. ''Tis a thought to look at that a
chap will take all this trouble to get a woman into his house, and a
twelvemonth after would as soon