ontracted
"to serve a friend. I was afterwards twice tapped
"for a dropsy, which declined into a very profitable
"consumption! I was then reduced to--0--no--then,
"I became a widow with six helpless children--after
"having had eleven husbands pressed, and being left
"every time eight months gone with child, and without
"money to get me into an hospital!"

"Astonishing!" cried Bob, "and are such things possible?"

"A month's residence in the metropolis," said Dashall, "will satisfy
your enquiries. One ingenious villain, a short time back, had artifice
enough to defraud the public, at different periods of his life, of
upwards of one hundred thousand pounds, and actually carried on
his fraudulent schemes to the last moment of his existence, for he
~32~~defrauded Jack Ketch of his fee by hanging himself in his cell
after condemnation."{1}

Just as a tilbury was passing, "Observe," said Tom, "the driver of that
tilbury is the celebrated Lord Cripplegate with his usual equipage--his
blue cloak with a scarlet lining, hanging loosely over the vehicle,
gives an air of importance to his appearance, and he is always attended
by that boy, who has been denominated his cupid; he is a nobleman
by birth, a gentleman by courtesy, and a gamester by profession. He
exhausted a large estate upon _odd and even, sevens the main_, &c. till
having lost sight of the _main chance_, he found it necessary to curtail
his establishment and enliven his prospects, by exchanging a first floor
for a second, without an opportunity of ascertaining whether or not
these alterations were best suited to his high notions or exalted taste;
from which in a short time he was induced, either by inclination or
necessity, to take a small lodging in an obscure street, and to sport
a gig and one horse, instead of a curricle and pair; though in former
times he used to drive four in hand, and was acknowledged to be an
excellent whip. He still, however, possessed money enough to collect
together a large quantity of halfpence, which in his hours of relaxation
he managed to turn to good account, by the following stratagem:--He
distributed his halfpence on the floor of his little parlour in straight
lines, and ascertained how many it would require to cover it; having
thus prepared himself, he invited some wealthy spendthrifts (with whom
he still had the power of associating) to sup with him, and he welcomed
them to his habitation with m