y few months after his
liberation from bondage, he developed himself as he had done; and became
the humorous, the sarcastic, the brilliant Foker, with whom we have made
acquaintance. A dunce he always was, it is true; for learning cannot be
acquired by leaving school and entering at college as a fellow-commoner;
but he was now (in his own peculiar manner) as great a dandy as he
before had been a slattern, and when he entered his sitting-room to join
his two guests, arrived scented and arrayed in fine linen, and perfectly
splendid in appearance.

General or Captain Costigan--for the latter was the rank which he
preferred to assume--was seated in the window with the newspaper held
before him at arm's length. The Captain's eyes were somewhat dim; and he
was spelling the paper, with the help of his lips, as well as of those
bloodshot eyes of his, as you see gentlemen do to whom reading is a rare
and difficult occupation. His hat was cocked very much on one ear;
and as one of his feet lay up in the window-seat, the observer of such
matters might remark, by the size and shabbiness of the boots which the
Captain wore, that times did not go very well with him. Poverty seems
as if it were disposed, before it takes possession of a man entirely, to
attack his extremities first: the coverings of his head, feet, and
hands are its first prey. All these parts of the Captain's person were
particularly rakish and shabby. As soon as he saw Pen he descended from
the window-seat and saluted the new-comer, first in a military manner,
by conveying a couple of his fingers (covered with a broken black glove)
to his hat, and then removing that ornament altogether. The Captain was
inclined to be bald, but he brought a quantity of lank iron-grey hair
over his pate, and had a couple of whisps of the same falling down
on each side of his face. Much whisky had spoiled what complexion Mr.
Costigan may have possessed in his youth. His once handsome face had now
a copper tinge. He wore a very high stock, scarred and stained in many
places; and a dress-coat tightly buttoned up in those parts where the
buttons had not parted company from the garment.

"The young gentleman to whom I had the honour to be introjuiced
yesterday in the Cathadral Yard," said the Captain, with a splendid bow
and wave of his hat. "I hope I see you well, sir. I marked ye in the
thayatre last night during me daughter's perfawrumance; and missed ye
on my return. I did but conduct