new member
of the company, and not quite certain of his duty, kept his unobscured
eye anxiously on his master, and was perpetually starting upon his hind
legs when there was no occasion, and falling down again.

'I've got a animal here,' said Jerry, putting his hand into the
capacious pocket of his coat, and diving into one corner as if he were
feeling for a small orange or an apple or some such article, 'a animal
here, wot I think you know something of, Short.'

'Ah!' cried Short, 'let's have a look at him.'

'Here he is,' said Jerry, producing a little terrier from his pocket.
'He was once a Toby of yours, warn't he!'

In some versions of the great drama of Punch there is a small dog--a
modern innovation--supposed to be the private property of that
gentleman, whose name is always Toby. This Toby has been stolen in
youth from another gentleman, and fraudulently sold to the confiding
hero, who having no guile himself has no suspicion that it lurks in
others; but Toby, entertaining a grateful recollection of his old
master, and scorning to attach himself to any new patrons, not only
refuses to smoke a pipe at the bidding of Punch, but to mark his old
fidelity more strongly, seizes him by the nose and wrings the same with
violence, at which instance of canine attachment the spectators are
deeply affected. This was the character which the little terrier in
question had once sustained; if there had been any doubt upon the
subject he would speedily have resolved it by his conduct; for not only
did he, on seeing Short, give the strongest tokens of recognition, but
catching sight of the flat box he barked so furiously at the pasteboard
nose which he knew was inside, that his master was obliged to gather
him up and put him into his pocket again, to the great relief of the
whole company.

The landlord now busied himself in laying the cloth, in which process
Mr Codlin obligingly assisted by setting forth his own knife and fork
in the most convenient place and establishing himself behind them.
When everything was ready, the landlord took off the cover for the last
time, and then indeed there burst forth such a goodly promise of
supper, that if he had offered to put it on again or had hinted at
postponement, he would certainly have been sacrificed on his own hearth.

However, he did nothing of the kind, but instead thereof assisted a
stout servant girl in turning the contents of the cauldron into a large
tureen; a proceedi