ndeed, he
wasn't sure that he was in the drawing-room at all; while Mr. Gapes
insisted that the carpet was a Turkey carpet, whereas it was a royal cut
pile. It might be that the smartness and freshness of everything confused
the bucolic minds, little accustomed to wholesale grandeur.

Mr. Puffington quite eclipsed all the old country families with their
'company rooms' and put-away furniture. Then, when he began to grind about
the country in his lofty mail-phaeton, with a pair of spanking,
high-stepping bays, and a couple of arm-folded, lolling grooms, shedding
his cards in return for their calls, there was such a talk, such a
commotion, as had never been known before. Then, indeed, he was appreciated
at his true worth.

[Illustration: AN 'AMA-A-ZIN' POP'LAR' MAN]

'Mr. Puffington was here the other day,' said Mrs. Smirk to Mrs. Smooth, in
the well-known 'great-deal-more-meant-than-said' style. 'Oh such a charming
man! Such ease! such manners! such knowledge of high life!' Puff had been
at his old tricks. He had resuscitated Lord Legbail, now Earl of Loosefish;
imported Sir Harry Blueun from somewhere near Geneva, whither he had
retired on marrying his mistress; and resuscitated Lord Mudlark, who had
broken his neck many years before from his tandem in Piccadilly. Whatever
was said, Puff always had a duplicate or illustration involving a nobleman.
The great names might be rather far-fetched at times, to be sure, but when
people are inclined to be pleased they don't keep putting that and that
together to see how they fit, and whether they come naturally or are lugged
in neck and heels. Puff's talk was very telling.

One great man to a house is the usual country allowance, and many are not
very long in letting out who theirs are; but Puffington seemed to have the
whole peerage, baronetage, and knightage at command. Old Mrs. Slyboots,
indeed, thought that he must be connected with the peerage some way; his
mother, perhaps, had been the daughter of a peer, and she gave herself an
infinity of trouble in hunting through the 'matches'--with what success it
is not necessary to say. The old ladies unanimously agreed that he was a
most agreeable, interesting young man; and though the young ones did
pretend to run him down among themselves, calling him ugly, and so on, it
was only in the vain hope of dissuading each other from thinking of him.

Mr. Puffington still stuck to the 'am_aa_zin' pop'lar man' character; a
character t