here is to discover a
runaway relation--"

"La! sir--a little boy?"

"No, Mrs Butt, a--"

"_Surely_ not a little _gurl_, sir," said the landlady, with a
sympathetic expression.

"It is of no consequence what or who the runaway relation is, Mrs Butt;
I merely mention the fact in order that you may understand the reason of
any little eccentricity you may notice in my conduct, and not perplex
your mind about it. For instance, I shall have no regular hours--may be
out late or early--it may be even all night. You will give me a
pass-key, and I will let myself in. The only thing I will probably ask
for will be a cup of tea or coffee. Pray let me have one about an hour
hence. I'm going out at present. Here is a week's rent in advance."

"Shall I put on a fire, sir?" asked Mrs Butt.

"Well, yes--you may."

"Toast, sir?"

"Yes, yes," said Charlie, opening the outer door.

"'Ot or cold, sir?"

"'Ot, and _buttered_," cried Charlie, with a laugh, as he shut the door
after him and rendered further communication impossible.

Wending his way through the poor streets in the midst of which his
lodging was situated, our hero at last found an old-clothes store, which
he entered.

"I want a suit of old clothes," he said to the owner, a Jew, who came
forward.

The Jew smiled, spread out his hands after the manner of a Frenchman,
and said, "My shop, sir, is at your disposal."

After careful inspection Charlie selected a fustian coat of extremely
ragged appearance, with trousers to match, also a sealskin vest of a
mangy complexion, likewise a soiled and battered billycock hat so
shockingly bad that it was difficult to imagine it to have ever had
better days at all.

"Are they clean?" he asked.

"Bin baked and fumigated, sir," answered the Jew solemnly.

As the look and smell of the garments gave some countenance to the truth
of this statement, Charlie paid the price demanded, had them wrapped up
in a green cotton handkerchief, and carried them off.

Arrived at his lodging he let himself in, entered his room, and threw
the bundle in a corner. Then he rang for tea.

It was growing dark by that time, but a yellow-cotton blind shut out the
prospect, and a cheery fire in the grate lighted up the little room
brightly, casting a rich glow on the yellow-white table-cloth, which had
been already spread, and creating a feeling of coziness in powerful
contrast to the sensation of dreariness which had assailed him on his