whether these words were intended for his ears or
not. However, the visitors walked away without taking any further
notice of him.

In spite of Smart's promises, Jack began to feel very weary of
confinement in the precincts of the inn, and determine on insisting that
Long Sam should take his place.

"He pretends to be a groom, and therefore I do not see that he should
not act as one," said Jack to himself.

Just, however, as he was about to insist on this arrangement with his
companion, Long Sam told him that he might go into the city and take a
look round London, and see what he could of the sights.

"Only take care to find your way back again here before the evening," he
observed. "Keep in the broader streets, and don't tell any strangers
where you come from, or what has brought you to the city."

It was Sunday morning; and Jack, putting on his best garments which he
had brought with him, started on his walk. He took his way along a very
bad road leading to the Strand, with the fields and cabbage-gardens to
the right, and Hyde Park to the left, which then extended nearly to the
Palace of Kensington. Fortunately the weather was dry for the season of
the year, or he would have been splashed over from head to foot.
Besides Saint Paul's, a number of beautiful churches were already
raising their heads by the genius of Wren in various parts of London.
Seeing a number of people collecting before a church, and having never
failed at home in attending Divine Service, he took courage, and
followed the crowd within the building. Although he had been accustomed
occasionally to see people take their eyes off their books to watch the
entrance of a stranger, or to examine the dress of their neighbours, or
perhaps to exchange glances with one another, he was little prepared for
the style of behaviour in which the congregation of the church where he
now found himself indulged. Here were collected many of the beauties,
and a few of the fine gentlemen of the day. It may have been that they
lost little by not attending to the preacher. So Jack thought from what
he could catch of the discourse, little of which he could understand, so
full of flowers of rhetoric was it. Most of his neighbours were, at all
events, flirting and ogling all through the service, and as they entered
and took their seats all courtesied and bowed to their acquaintance, as
if they had been at a theatre. Jack could not help feeling thankful
when the s