to
the cold boiled beef, the tea, and bread and butter, strongly impressed
upon his companions that they should do the like. Mr Codlin indeed
required no such persuasion, as he had already eaten as much as he
could possibly carry and was now moistening his clay with strong ale,
whereof he took deep draughts with a silent relish and invited nobody
to partake--thus again strongly indicating his misanthropical turn of
mind.

Breakfast being at length over, Mr Codlin called the bill, and charging
the ale to the company generally (a practice also savouring of
misanthropy) divided the sum-total into two fair and equal parts,
assigning one moiety to himself and friend, and the other to Nelly and
her grandfather. These being duly discharged and all things ready for
their departure, they took farewell of the landlord and landlady and
resumed their journey.

And here Mr Codlin's false position in society and the effect it
wrought upon his wounded spirit, were strongly illustrated; for whereas
he had been last night accosted by Mr Punch as 'master,' and had by
inference left the audience to understand that he maintained that
individual for his own luxurious entertainment and delight, here he
was, now, painfully walking beneath the burden of that same Punch's
temple, and bearing it bodily upon his shoulders on a sultry day and
along a dusty road. In place of enlivening his patron with a constant
fire of wit or the cheerful rattle of his quarter-staff on the heads of
his relations and acquaintance, here was that beaming Punch utterly
devoid of spine, all slack and drooping in a dark box, with his legs
doubled up round his neck, and not one of his social qualities
remaining.

Mr Codlin trudged heavily on, exchanging a word or two at intervals
with Short, and stopping to rest and growl occasionally. Short led the
way; with the flat box, the private luggage (which was not extensive)
tied up in a bundle, and a brazen trumpet slung from his
shoulder-blade. Nell and her grandfather walked next him on either
hand, and Thomas Codlin brought up the rear.

When they came to any town or village, or even to a detached house of
good appearance, Short blew a blast upon the brazen trumpet and
carolled a fragment of a song in that hilarious tone common to Punches
and their consorts. If people hurried to the windows, Mr Codlin
pitched the temple, and hastily unfurling the drapery and concealing
Short therewith, flourished hysterically o