le knew what was in store for them;
they weren't quite prepared for it. By Jove, that they were n't!"

"Who are they?" said I, sitting up in my bed, and somewhat curious to
hear something of these astonished individuals.

"The Government, my lad; the Castle; the Private Sec.; the Major; the
Treasury; the Board of Green Cloth; the--what d' ye call them?--the
Privy Council."

"Why, what has happened them?"

"I 'll show you what 's happened. Lie down again and compose yourself.
He won't be here before twelve o'clock; though, by the bye, I promised
on my honor not to say a word about his coming. But it 's over now."

"Who is it?" said I, eagerly.

"Oh, I can't tell now. You 'll see him very soon; and right glad he 'll
be to see you, so he says. But here they are; here 's the whole affair."

So saying, he covered the bed with a mass of news' papers, and blotted,
ill-written manuscripts, among which he commenced a vigorous search at
once.

"Here it is; I've found it out. Listen to this: 'The Press, Friday,
August 10. The magnificent ourang-outang that Captain Bubbleton is about
to present to the Lady-Lieutenant--' No, that is n't it; it must be
in Faulkner. Ay, here we have it: 'In Captain Bubbleton's forthcoming
volume, which we have been favored with a private perusal of, a very
singular account is given of the gigantic mouse found in Candia, which
grows to the size of a common mastiff--'No, that 's not it. You 've
heard of that, Tom, though, have n't you?"

"Never," said I, trying to repress a smile.

"I 'm amazed at that; never heard of my curious speculations about the
Candian mouse! The fellow has a voice like a human being; you 'd hear
him crying in the woods, and you 'd swear it was a child. I 've a notion
that the Greeks took their word 'mousikos' from this fellow. But that
's not what I 'm looking for; no, but here it is. This is squib
No. 1: 'Tuesday morning. We are at length enabled to state that the
young gentleman who took such a prominent part in defending the military
against the savage and murderous attack of the mob in the late riot in
College Green is now out of danger; being removed to Captain Bubbleton's
quarters in George's Street Barracks, he was immediately trepanned--'"

"Eh? trepanned!"

"No, you weren't trepanned; but Pepper said you might have been though,
and he 'd just as soon do it as not; so I put in trepanned. 'The pia
mater was fortunately not cut through.' That you don't unders