ld play
and I could give you. The part of Ursula is filled by the same old lady
who has played it for years in my theatres." The torrent could not be
resisted, so we swam along with it, and laughed heartily. "You are too
bad Jemmy Whiteley," said Mr. Mills, "by my soul, you're too bad." "Oh I
am a very bad fellow to be sure; you'll talk on the other side of your
cheek by and by, when you are swallowing my old ale and red port at
three and six pence a bottle."

"At length dinner was announced, and to tell you the truth, I had much
rather have gone without any than sat down to dine. I was at the best
very bashful, and Whiteley's coarse insinuation that I wanted a dinner,
though jocularly spoken, stuck in my throat, and made me blush heartily
when he helped me. But now his manner was changed, and he displayed such
unfeigned hospitality, and such an earnest desire that we should enjoy
ourselves, showing us himself the example, that before dinner was half
over, I was perfectly comfortable. He pressed me to drink, but was
greatly pleased at my refusing to comply. In a word, no two men were
ever more different than Jemmy Whiteley in the rhodomontade of the
morning and Mr. James Whiteley at his own hospitable, respectable board.
He and my friend chatted and drank cheerfully. I looked on, listened,
and sung two or three songs for them at Mr. W's request. When my friend
made a motion to go, the good manager thus addressed me: "look you my
good lad, when the waiter of a tavern or the potboy of a porter-house
presents me a pot of beer or ale, I always blow off the froth from the
top or wait till it subsides, and then bring it to the light and look
down carefully through it, lest it should be muddy or foul, or have some
dirt such as a candle-snuff, a mouse, a toad, or some trifle of that
kind floating in it: in a word, to know what I am about to swallow. Just
so I deal with men, when they approach me in a way that seeks connexion:
for I dont like changing, and I greatly detest the fallings out and
fallings in again which seem to make up the business and pleasure of so
many in this life. While I was blackguarding you and you staring and
laughing at me, I was looking down through your contents from your
frothy powdered head down to the very bottom; and so, if your friend and
you will call here tomorrow morning, I will try to bring my tongue down
to some serious conversation with you.""

In a word, our youth next day found himself pla