ied with his reflections to
commence his repast. He was in the act of scooping out of the basin some
of its inviting contents, when--"Titmouse!" exclaimed the voice of one
of his shopmates, peering in at him through the half-opened door, "Mr.
Tag-rag wants you! He says you've had plenty of time to finish your
dinner!"

"Oh, tell him, then, I'm only just beginning my dinner--eugh! such as it
is," replied Titmouse, sulkily.

In a few minutes' time Mr. Tag-rag himself entered the room, stuttering
with fury--"How much longer, sir, may it be your pleasure to spend over
your dinner, eh?"

"Not another moment, sir," answered Titmouse, looking with unaffected
loathing and disgust at the savory victuals before him; "if you'll only
allow me a few minutes to go home and buy a penny roll instead of all
this"----

"Ve--ry good, sir! Ve--ry parti--cu--larly good, Mr. Titmouse," replied
Tag-rag, with ill-subdued rage; "anything else that I can make a
_leetle_ memorandum of--against the day of--your leaving us?"

This hint of twofold terror, _i. e._ of withholding on the ground of
misconduct the wretched balance of salary which might be then due to
him, and of also giving him a damning character--dispelled the small
remains of Titmouse's appetite, and he rose to return to the shop,
involuntarily clutching his fist as he brushed close past the tyrant
Tag-rag on the stairs, whom he would have been delighted to pitch down
head-foremost. If he _had_ done so, none of his fellow-slaves below, in
spite of their present sycophancy towards Tag-rag, would have shown any
particular alacrity in picking up their common oppressor. Poor Tittlebat
resumed his old situation behind the counter; but how different his
present, from his former air and manner! With his pen occasionally
peeping pertly out of his bushy hair over his right ear, and his
yard-measure in his hand, no one, till the previous Monday morning, had
been more cheerful, smirking, and nimble than Tittlebat Titmouse: alas,
how chopfallen now! None of his companions could make him out, or guess
what was in the wind; so they very justly concluded that he had been
doing something dreadfully disgraceful, the extent of which was known to
Tag-rag and himself alone. Their jeers and banter were giving place to
cold distrustful looks, which were far more trying to bear. How he
longed to be able to burst upon their astounded minds with the pent-up
intelligence that was silently racking and spl