s and eulogistic expressions. And this had passed
into such a habit with him, that, if he could not be correctly said to
have his tongue at his fingers' ends, he might certainly be said to
have it anywhere but in his face: which being, as we have already seen,
of a harsh and repulsive character, was not oiled so easily, but
frowned above all the smooth speeches--one of nature's beacons, warning
off those who navigated the shoals and breakers of the World, or of
that dangerous strait the Law, and admonishing them to seek less
treacherous harbours and try their fortune elsewhere.

While Mr Brass by turns overwhelmed his clerk with compliments and
inspected the ten-pound note, Miss Sally showed little emotion and that
of no pleasurable kind, for as the tendency of her legal practice had
been to fix her thoughts on small gains and gripings, and to whet and
sharpen her natural wisdom, she was not a little disappointed that the
single gentleman had obtained the lodgings at such an easy rate,
arguing that when he was seen to have set his mind upon them, he should
have been at the least charged double or treble the usual terms, and
that, in exact proportion as he pressed forward, Mr Swiveller should
have hung back. But neither the good opinion of Mr Brass, nor the
dissatisfaction of Miss Sally, wrought any impression upon that young
gentleman, who, throwing the responsibility of this and all other acts
and deeds thereafter to be done by him, upon his unlucky destiny, was
quite resigned and comfortable: fully prepared for the worst, and
philosophically indifferent to the best.

'Good morning, Mr Richard,' said Brass, on the second day of Mr
Swiveller's clerkship. 'Sally found you a second-hand stool, Sir,
yesterday evening, in Whitechapel. She's a rare fellow at a bargain, I
can tell you, Mr Richard. You'll find that a first-rate stool, Sir,
take my word for it.'

'It's rather a crazy one to look at,' said Dick.

'You'll find it a most amazing stool to sit down upon, you may depend,'
returned Mr Brass. 'It was bought in the open street just opposite the
hospital, and as it has been standing there a month of two, it has got
rather dusty and a little brown from being in the sun, that's all.'

'I hope it hasn't got any fevers or anything of that sort in it,' said
Dick, sitting himself down discontentedly, between Mr Sampson and the
chaste Sally. 'One of the legs is longer than the others.'

'Then we get a bit of timb