itting his little bosom!
But if he did--the terrible firm of Quirk, Gammon, and Snap--Oh! the
very thought of them glued his lips together. There was _one_, however,
of whom he might surely make a confidant--the excellent Huckaback, with
whom he had had no opportunity of communicating since Sunday night. That
gentleman was as close a prisoner at the establishment of DIAPER and
SARSENET, in Tottenham-court Road, as Titmouse at Messrs. Tag-rag's, of
which said establishment he was, by the way, quite as great an ornament
as Titmouse of Messrs. Tag-rag's. They were of about the same height,
and equals in vulgar puppyism of manners, dress, and appearance; but
Titmouse was certainly the better-looking. With equal conceit apparent
in their faces, that of Huckaback, square, flat, and sallow, had an
expression of ineffable impudence, made a lady shudder, and a gentleman
feel a tingling sensation in his right toe. About his small black eyes
there was a glimmer of low cunning;--but he is not of sufficient
importance to be painted any further. When Titmouse left the shop that
night, a little after nine, he hurried to his lodgings, to make himself
as imposing in his appearance before Messrs. Quirk, Gammon, and Snap, as
his time and means would admit of. Behold, on a table lay a letter from
Huckaback. It was written in a flourishing mercantile hand; and here is
a _verbatim_ copy of it:

"DEAR TIT,

"Hope you are well, which is what I can only middling say in
respect of me. Such a row with my governors as I have had to-day! I
thought that as I had been in the House near upon Eighteen Months
at L25 per annum, I might nat'rally ask for L30 a-year (which is
what my Predecessor had) when, would you believe it, Mr. Sharpeye
(who is going to be taken in as a Partner,) to whom I named the
thing, ris up in rage against me, and I were had up into the
counting-house, where both the governors was, and they gave it me
in such a way that you never saw nor heard of; but it wasn't all on
their own side, as you know me too well to think of. You would have
thought I had been a-going to rob the house. They said I was most
oudacious, and all that, and ungrateful, and what would I have
next? Mr. Diaper said times was come to such a pitch!! since when
he was first in the business, for salaries, says he, is ris to
double, and not half the work done that was, and no
gra