angrily. At the same moment young Auberly rose to leave.

"Good-night, Barret. I'll write to you soon as to my whereabout and
what about. Perhaps see you ere long."

"Good-night. God prosper you, Fred. Good-night."

As he spoke, the grumbler came stumbling along the passage.

"Good-night again, Fred," said Barret, almost pushing his friend out.
"I have a particular reason for not wishing you to see the fr-, the man
who is coming in."

"All right, old fellow," said Fred as he passed out, and drew up against
the wall to allow a drunken man to stumble heavily into the room.

Next moment he was in the street hastening he knew not whither; but
following the old and well-known route to Beverly Square.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

WONDERFUL PLANS.

When Willie Willders knocked at Tom Tippet's door, at the top of the
house, a rich jovial bass voice cried, "Come in." So Willie went in,
and stood before a stout old gentleman, whose voluminous whiskers,
meeting below his chin, made ample amends for the total absence of hair
from the top of his head.

Mr Tippet stood, without coat or vest, and with his braces tied round
his waist, at a carpenter's bench, holding a saw in his right hand, and
a piece of wood in his left.

"Well, my lad, what's _your_ business?" he inquired in the voice of a
stentor, and with the beaming smile of an elderly cherub.

"Please, sir, a note--from a lady."

"I wish your message had been verbal, boy. It's so difficult to read
ladies' hands; they're so abominably angular, and--where _are_ my specs?
I've a mind to have 'em screw-nailed to my nose. Ah! here they are."

He found them under a jack-plane and a mass of shavings; put them on and
read the note, while Willie took the opportunity of observing that Mr
Tippet's room was a drawing-room, parlour, dining-room, workshop, and
old curiosity-shop, all in one. A half-open door revealed the fact that
an inner chamber contained Mr Tippet's bed, and an indescribable mass
of machinery and models in every stage of progression, and covered with
dust, more or less thick in exact proportion to their respective ages.
A dog and cat lay side by side on the hearth asleep, and a small fire
burned in a grate, on the sides of which stood a variety of crucibles
and such-like articles and a glue-pot; also a tea-pot and kettle.

"You want a situation in my office as a clerk?" inquired Mr Tippet,
tearing up his sister's letter, and throwing it into the fire.