is bed: upon these he piled his
apparel, in a confused heap, and proceeded to roll the whole into a large
ball, which he secured with a piece of rope. 'Now then, the moving's
begun,' said he, opening the door and rolling the bundle into the entry.
'The premises are ready for the next tenant.'

Having brushed his knees with the palm of his hands, and then dusted his
hands by knocking them together, he put on his neckcloth, coat, and hat;
pocketed his snuff-box and handkerchief, walked into the entry, locked the
door, put the key over it, as he had always been in the habit of doing;
seated himself upon his bundle, with his back leaning against the wall;
and immediately lapsed into a fit of deep abstraction, which he
occasionally relieved by kicking his heels against the floor, shaking his
head, in a sudden and emphatic manner, or inhaling his breath rapidly and
violently, producing a sound blending the harmonious qualities of a snort
and a whistle.

'So,' said he, after indulging in one of the last mentioned performances
with so much energy as to arouse him from his abstraction, at the same
time nodding his head at Rust's office, '_his_ cake being dough, our
bargain's up; and here am I, Edward Kornicker, Esquire, attorney and
counsellor at law, a man of profound experience, severe knowledge of the
world, of great capacity in various ways, though of small means--I think I
may say of d----d small means--once more in the market; for sale to the
highest bidder. Such a valuable commodity is not met with every day. If
any gentleman,' continued he, raising his hand and looking round at an
imaginary audience, 'is extremely desirous of securing the eminent talents
of one of the most prominent young men of the day--not exactly new,' added
he, running his eye over his rusty coat, 'but wonderfully serviceable; no
cracks, nor flaws, no pieces broken off--here is an opportunity which will
not occur again. This is only a scratch on the surface,' said he, as he
thrust his finger into a small hole in his coat-sleeve; 'the article
itself is warranted to be perfectly sound, and of the best quality. How
much is bid?--how much for the promising young man aforesaid? How much?
One thousand dollars? Five hundred? Two fifty?--one?--fifty? It wont do,'
said he, in a melancholy tone; 'strike him down to me. The gentleman's
bought himself in; there being no demand for the article in this market,
he thinks of disposing of himself to some respectable