gh his influence my friend
Jim has obtained a good appointment on the Metropolitan Railway, which
gives him a much better salary than he had in Skrimp's office, and opens
up a prospect of promotion; so, although it sends him underground before
his natural time, he says he is quite content to be buried alive,
especially as it makes the prospect of his union with a very small and
exceedingly charming little girl with black eyes, not quite so remote as
it was. In the second place, you'll be glad to hear that the directors
of the insurance office with which I am connected have raised my salary,
influenced thereto by the same old gentleman with the ruddy face, bald
head, and kind heart--"

"Coupled with your own merits, Bob," suggested Joe.

"I know nothing about _that_," replied the strapping young man with a
smile, "but these pleasant pieces of good fortune have enabled me and
Jim to carry out a plan which we have long cherished--to lodge together,
with Martha Reading as our landlady. In truth, anticipating some such
good fortune as has been sent to us, we had some time ago devoted part
of our savings to the purpose of rescuing poor Martha from that
miserable needlework which has been slowly killing her so long. We have
taken and furnished a small house, Martha is already installed as the
owner, and we go there to-night for the first time, as lodgers."

"You don't say so!" exclaimed Joe, laughing; "why, Bob, you and your
friend act with as much promptitude as if you had been regularly trained
in the Fire-Brigade."

"We received much of our training _from_ it, if not _in_ it," returned
the strapping young man with the plain but pleasant countenance. "Don't
you remember, Joe, how perseveringly we followed you in former days when
_I_ was the Bloater and _he_ was Little Jim?"

"Remember it! I should think I do," replied Joe. "How glad my Mary
will be when she hears what you have done."

"But that's not all my news," continued the Bloater, (if we may presume
to use the old name). "Last, but not least, Fred has asked me to be his
groom's-man. He wrote me a very pathetic letter about it, but omitted
to mention the day--not to be wondered at in the circumstances. Poor
Fred, his letter reminded me of the blotted copies which I used to write
with such trouble and sorrow at the training school to which my patron
sent me."

"There's reason for the blotted letter besides the excitement of his
approaching marriage," sai