minable sentiment, several
females entered the apartment, one of whom led by the hand a small boy
of five years of age. This woman was the wife of the Dead Man, and the
child was his son.

The little fellow scrambled upon the table, and his father took him upon
his knee, saying to the company--

'Pals, you know the blessed Bible tells us to 'train up a child in the
way he should go;' very good--now you will see how well I have obeyed
the command with this little _kid_. Attend to your catechism, my son.
What is your name?'

'Jack the Prig,' answered the boy without hesitation.

'Who gave you that name?'

'The Jolly Knights of the Round Table.'

'Who made you?' asked the father.

'His Majesty, old Beelzebub!' said the child.

'For what purpose did he make you?'

'To be a bold thief all my life, and die like a man upon the gallows!'

Immense applause followed this answer.

'What is the whole duty of man?'

'To drink, lie, rob, and murder when necessary.'

'What do you think of the Bible?'

'It's all a cursed humbug!'

'What do you think of me--now speak up like a man!'

'You're the d----dest scoundrel that ever went unhung,' replied the boy,
looking up in his father's face and smiling.

The roar of laughter that followed his answer was perfectly deafening,
and was heartily joined in by the Dead Man himself, who had taught the
child the very words--and those words were true as gospel. The Dead Man
knew he was a villain, and gloried in the title. He gave the boy a glass
of brandy to drink, as a reward for his cleverness; and further
encouraged him by prophesying that he would one day become a great
thief.

Room was now made at the table for the women, several of whom were
young and good-looking. They were all depraved creatures, being common
prostitutes, or very little better; and they drank, swore, and boasted
of their exploits in thieving and other villainy, with as much gusto as
their male companions. After an hour of so spent in riotous debauchery,
the company, wearied with their excesses, broke up, and most of them
went to their sleeping places; the Dead Man, the boy and the stranger,
together with a man named Fred, remained at the table; and the former,
addressing the stranger, said to him--

'And so, young man, you have just come out of _quod_, hey? Well, as you
look rather hard up, and most likely haven't a great deal of blunt on
hand, suppose I put you in the way of a little profitable busin