this
was really carrying matters a little too far.

"I feel I'm intruding, sir," said Toby. "I--I misdoubted it this
morning. Oh dear me!"

The Alderman cut him short by giving him the letter from his pocket.
Toby would have got a shilling too; but Mr. Filer clearly showing that
in that case he would rob a certain given number of persons of
ninepence-half-penny a-piece, he only got sixpence; and thought himself
very well off to get that.

Then the Alderman gave an arm to each of his friends, and walked off in
high feather; but, he immediately came hurrying back alone, as if he had
forgotten something.

"Porter!" said the Alderman.

"Sir!" said Toby.

"Take care of that daughter of yours. She's much too handsome."

"Even her good looks are stolen from somebody or other I suppose,"
thought Toby, looking at the sixpence in his hand, and thinking of the
tripe. "She's been and robbed five hundred ladies of a bloom a-piece, I
shouldn't wonder. It's very dreadful!"

"She's much too handsome, my man," repeated the Alderman. "The chances
are, that she'll come to no good, I clearly see. Observe what I say.
Take care of her!" With which, he hurried off again.

"Wrong every way. Wrong every way!" said Trotty clasping his hands.
"Born bad. No business here!"

The Chimes came clashing in upon him as he said the last words. Full,
loud, and sounding--but with no encouragement. No, not a drop.

"The tune's changed," cried the old man, as he listened. "There's not a
word of all that fancy in it. Why should there be? I have no business
with the New Year nor with the old one neither. Let me die!"

Still the Bells, pealing forth their changes, made the very air spin.
Put 'em down. Put 'em down! Good old Times, Good old Times! Facts and
Figures, Facts and Figures! Put 'em down, Put 'em down! If they said
anything they said this, until the brain of Toby reeled.

He pressed his bewildered head between his hands as if to keep it from
splitting asunder. A well-timed action, as it happened; for finding the
letter in one of them, and being by that means reminded of his charge,
he fell, mechanically, into his usual trot, and trotted off.

SECOND QUARTER.

The letter Toby had received from Alderman Cute, was addressed to a
great man in the great district of the town. The greatest district of
the town. It must have been the greatest district of the town, because
it was commonly called "the world" by its inhabitants.

The Year w