er he
thought everybody was still engaged. But not to be bitter on a man who
had done his duty, the Captain whispered in his ear, that if he felt
disposed for a glass of rum-and-water, and would follow, he would be
happy to bestow the same upon him.

Before leaving the premises, the Captain, somewhat to the astonishment
of the clerks, looked round from a central point of view, and took a
general survey of the officers part and parcel of a project in which his
young friend was nearly interested. The strong-room excited his especial
admiration; but, that he might not appear too particular, he limited
himself to an approving glance, and, with a graceful recognition of the
clerks as a body, that was full of politeness and patronage, passed
out into the court. Being promptly joined by Mr Perch, he conveyed that
gentleman to the tavern, and fulfilled his pledge--hastily, for Perch's
time was precious.

'I'll give you for a toast,' said the Captain, 'Wal'r!'

'Who?' submitted Mr Perch.

'Wal'r!' repeated the Captain, in a voice of thunder.

Mr Perch, who seemed to remember having heard in infancy that there was
once a poet of that name, made no objection; but he was much astonished
at the Captain's coming into the City to propose a poet; indeed, if
he had proposed to put a poet's statue up--say Shakespeare's for
example--in a civic thoroughfare, he could hardly have done a greater
outrage to Mr Perch's experience. On the whole, he was such a mysterious
and incomprehensible character, that Mr Perch decided not to mention
him to Mrs Perch at all, in case of giving rise to any disagreeable
consequences.

Mysterious and incomprehensible, the Captain, with that lively sense
upon him of having done a little business for the youngsters, remained
all day, even to his most intimate friends; and but that Walter
attributed his winks and grins, and other such pantomimic reliefs of
himself, to his satisfaction in the success of their innocent deception
upon old Sol Gills, he would assuredly have betrayed himself before
night. As it was, however, he kept his own secret; and went home late
from the Instrument-maker's house, wearing the glazed hat so much on
one side, and carrying such a beaming expression in his eyes, that Mrs
MacStinger (who might have been brought up at Doctor Blimber's, she was
such a Roman matron) fortified herself, at the first glimpse of
him, behind the open street door, and refused to come out to the
contempla