! no surrender!" saying which,
he deposited the empty glass on the table, giving the same time two
or three short coughs occasioned by the strength of the liquor. "Good
morning, gentlemen--brother, M'Slime"--he voiced and nodded significantly
at Solomon, then added--"good people are scarce; so be a good boy and
take care of yourself."

"Now, Tom, be a good fellow and don't forget the rent," said Val; Tom
nodded again, for it was a habit he had, and departed.

The next person who presented himself was a little, meagre, thin looking
man, with a dry, serious air about him, that seemed to mark him as a
kind of curiosity in his way. From the moment he entered, Solomon seemed
to shrink up into half his ordinary dimensions, nor did the stranger
seem unconscious of this, if one could judge by the pungent expression
of his small gray eyes which were fastened on Solomon with a bitter
significance that indicated such a community of knowledge as did not
seem to be pleasant to either of them.

"Ah, Sam Wallace," said Val, "always punctual, and never more welcome
than now; scraping and scrambling we are, Sam, to make up the demand for
the landlord."

"What way ir ye, Mr. M'Clutchy; am gled to see ye luck so well; I a-am
indeed."

"Thank you, Sam. How are all your family."

"Deed, as well as can be expected under the stain that's over us."

"Stain! What do you mean, Sam?"

"Feth, a main what's purty well known; that misfortune that befell our
daughter Susanna."

"Dear me, Sam, how was that?"

"The way of it was this--she went as a children's maid into a religious
femily"--here the two glittering eyes were fiercely fastened upon
Solomon--"where she became a serious young person of decided piety, as
they call it--an' h--l till me, but another month will make it decided
enough---well, sir, deel a long she was there till the saint, her
masther, made a sinner of her, and now she's likely to have her gifts,
such as they ir.

"I am very sorry to hear this, Sam; but, surely the man who seduced your
daughter does not deserve to be called religious."

"Disn't he, feth? why, Lord bless you, sure it was all done in a
religious way--they sang psalms together, prayed together, read the
Bible together, and now the truth is, that the consequence will be
speaking for itself some of these days."

Here another fiery look was darted at Solomon, who appeared deeply
engaged among leases, papers, and such other documents as were before
him