his prerogative. But he did expect that the gentleman would have
acknowledged the weakness of his footing, by moving himself a little
towards one side of the fire, and he did not expect that he would
have presumed to smoke without asking whether the practice was
held to be objectionable by the legal possessors of the room. Mr.
Dockwrath was free of any such pusillanimity. "Waiter," he said
again, "bring me a cigar, d'ye hear?"

The great heart of Moulder could not stand this unmoved. He had been
an accustomed visitor to that room for fifteen years, and had always
done his best to preserve the commercial code unsullied. He was now
so well known, that no one else ever presumed to take the chair
at the four o'clock commercial dinner if he were present. It was
incumbent on him to stand forward and make a fight, more especially
in the presence of Kantwise, who was by no means stanch to his order.
Kantwise would at all times have been glad to have outsiders in the
room, in order that he might puff his tables, and if possible effect
a sale;--a mode of proceeding held in much aversion by the upright,
old-fashioned, commercial mind.

"Sir," said Mr. Moulder, having become very red about the cheeks and
chin, "I and this gentleman are going to have a bit of supper, and it
ain't accustomed to smoke in commercial rooms during meals. You know
the rules no doubt if you're commercial yourself;--as I suppose you
are, seeing you in this room."

Now Mr. Moulder was wrong in his law, as he himself was very well
aware. Smoking is allowed in all commercial rooms when the dinner has
been some hour or so off the table. But then it was necessary that he
should hit the stranger in some way, and the chances were that the
stranger would know nothing about commercial law. Nor did he; so he
merely looked Mr. Moulder hard in the face. But Mr. Kantwise knew the
laws well enough, and as he saw before him a possible purchaser of
metallic tables, he came to the assistance of the attorney.

"I think you are a little wrong there, Mr. Moulder; eh; ain't you?"
said he.

"Wrong about what?" said Moulder, turning very sharply upon his
base-minded compatriot.

"Well, as to smoking. It's nine o'clock, and if the gentleman--"

"I don't care a brass farthing about the clock," said the other, "but
when I'm going to have a bit of steak with my tea, in my own room, I
chooses to have it comfortable."

"Goodness me, Mr. Moulder, how many times have I seen you