, but also Mrs Loper, who had
dropped in just to make inquiries, and Mrs Larrabel, who was anxious to
hear what news they had to tell, and Mr Crackaby, who was very
sympathetic, and Mr Stickler, who was oracular. Thus the small table
was full.

"Mariar, my dear," said Mr Twitter, referring to some remarkable truism
which his wife had just uttered, "we must just take things as we find
'em. The world is not goin' to change its course on purpose to please
_us_. Things might be worse, you know, and when the spoke in your wheel
is at its lowest there must of necessity be a rise unless it stands
still altogether."

"You're right, Mr Twitter. I always said so," remarked Mrs Loper,
adopting all these sentiments with a sigh of resignation. "If we did
not submit to fortune when it is adverse, why then we'd have to--have
to--"

"Succumb to it," suggested Mrs Larrabel, with one of her sweetest
smiles.

"No, Mrs Larrabel, I never succumb--from principle I never do so. The
last thing that any woman of good feeling ought to do is to succumb. I
would bow to it."

"Quite right, ma'am, quite right," said Stickler, who now found time to
speak, having finished his first cup of tea and second muffin; "to bow
is, to say the least of it, polite and simple, and is always safe, for
it commits one to nothing; but then, suppose that Fortune is impolite
and refuses to return the bow, what, I ask you, would be the result?"

As Mrs Loper could not form the slightest conception what the result
would be, she replied with a weak smile and a request for more sausage.

These remarks, although calculated to enlist the sympathies of Crackaby
and excite the mental energies of Twitter, had no effect whatever on
those gentlemen, for the latter was deeply depressed, and his friend
Crackaby felt for him sincerely. Thus the black sheep remained
victorious in argument--which was not always the case.

Poor Twitter! He was indeed at that time utterly crestfallen, for not
only had he lost considerably by the fire--his house having been
uninsured--but business in the city had gone wrong somehow. A few heavy
failures had occurred among speculators, and as these had always a row
of minor speculators at their backs, like a row of child's bricks, which
only needs the fall of one to insure the downcome of all behind it,
there had been a general tumble of speculative bricks, tailing off with
a number of unspeculative ones, such as tailors, grocers, butc