de his appearance; but
_him_ Titmouse unceremoniously dismissed in a twinkling, in spite of a
vehement remonstrance. Behold, however, presently another arrival--Mr.
Tag-rag!! who had come to announce that his carriage (_i. e._ a queer,
rickety, little one-horse chaise, with a tallow-faced boy in it, in
faded livery) was waiting to convey Mr. Titmouse to Satin Lodge, and
take him a long drive in the country! Each of these four worthies could
have spit in the other's face: first, for _detecting_, and secondly, for
_rivalling_ him in his schemes upon Titmouse. A few minutes after the
arrival of Tag-rag, Gammon, half-choked with disgust, and despising
himself even more than he despised his fellow-visitors, slunk off,
followed almost immediately by Quirk, who was dying to consult him on
this new aspect of affairs which had presented itself. Snap (who ever
since the arrival of Messrs. Quirk and Gammon had felt like an ape on
hot irons) very shortly followed in the footsteps of his partners,
having made no engagement whatever with Titmouse; and thus the
enterprising and determined Tag-rag was left master of the field. He had
in fact come to _do business_, and business he determined to do. As for
Gammon, during the short time he had stayed, how he had endeared himself
to Titmouse, by explaining, not aware that Titmouse had confessed all to
Snap, the singular change in the color of his hair to have been
occasioned simply by the intense mental anxiety through which he had
lately passed! The touching anecdotes he told of sufferers, whose hair a
single night's agony had changed to all the colors of the rainbow!
Though Tag-rag outstayed all his fellow-visitors, in the manner which
has been described, he could not prevail upon Titmouse to accompany him
in his "carriage," for Titmouse pleaded a pressing engagement, (_i. e._
a desperate attempt he purposed making to obtain some _ink_,) but
pledged himself to make his appearance at Satin Lodge at the appointed
hour (half-past three or four o'clock.) Away, therefore, drove Tag-rag,
delighted that Satin Lodge would so soon contain so resplendent a
visitor--indignant at the cringing, sycophantic attentions of Messrs.
Quirk, Gammon, and Snap, against whom he resolved to put Titmouse on his
guard, and infinitely astonished at the extraordinary change which had
taken place in the color of Titmouse's hair. Partly influenced by the
explanation which Gammon had given of the phenomenon, Tag-rag res