of
the cause, should _then_ turn restive?"

"Ay, confound it, Gammon, all that should be looked to, shouldn't it?"
interrupted Quirk, with an exceedingly chagrined air. "I always like to
look a long way a-head!"

"To be sure," continued Gammon, thoughtfully; "by that time he may have
got substantial friends about him, whom he could persuade to become
security to us for further and past advances."

"Nay, now you name the thing, Gammon; it was what I was thinking of only
the other day:" he dropped his voice--"Isn't there one or two of our own
clients, hem!"----

"Why, certainly, there's old Fang; I don't think it impossible he might
be induced to do a little usury--it's all he lives for, Mr. Quirk; and
the security is good in reality, though perhaps not exactly marketable."

"Nay; but, on second thoughts, why not do it myself, if anything _can_
be made of it?"

"That, however, will be for future consideration. In the mean time, we'd
better send for Titmouse, and manage him a little more--discreetly, eh?
We did not exactly hit it off last time, did we, Mr. Quirk?" said
Gammon, smiling rather sarcastically. "We must keep him at Tag-rag's, if
the thing _can_ be done for the present, at all events."

"To be sure; he couldn't then come buzzing about us, like a gad-fly;
he'd drive us mad in a week, I'm sure."

"Oh, I'd rather give up everything than submit to it. It can't be
difficult for us, I should think, to bind him to our own terms--to put a
bridle in the ass's mouth? Let us say that we insist on his signing an
undertaking to act implicitly according to our directions in
everything."

"Ay, to be sure; on pain of our instantly turning him to the right
about. I fancy it will _do_ now! It was just what I was thinking of!"

"And, now, Mr. Quirk," said Gammon, with as much of peremptoriness in
his tone as he could venture upon to Mr. Quirk, "you really must do me
the favor to leave the management of this little wretch to me. You see,
he seems to have taken--Heaven save the mark!--a fancy to me, poor
fool!--and--and--it must be owned we miscarried sadly, the other night,
on a certain grand occasion--eh?"

Quirk shook his head dissentingly.

"Well, then," continued Gammon, "upon one thing I am fixedly determined;
one or the other of us shall undertake Titmouse, solely and singly.
Pray, for Heaven's sake, tackle him yourself--a disagreeable duty! You
know, my dear sir, how invariably I leave everything of real impo