The salutation was addressed to the captain, now emerging from the back parlour with a most transparent and utterly futile affectation of coming out by accident.

"Thankee," the gentleman went on to say in the same breath; "I'm very well indeed, myself, I'm much obliged to My name is Toots, · Mister Toots."

you.

The captain remembered to have seen this young gentleman at the wedding, and made him a bow. Mr. Toots replied with a chuckle; and being embarrassed, as he generally was, breathed hard, shook hands with the captain for a long time, and then falling on Rob the Grinder, in the absence of any other resource, shook hands with him in a most affectionate and cordial man

ner.

"I say! I should like to speak a word to you, Mr. Gills, if you please," said Toots at length, with surprising presence of mind. 66 I say ! Miss D. O. M. you know!"

The captain, with responsive gravity and mystery, immediately waved his hook towards the little parlour, whither Mr. Toots followed him.

"Oh! I beg your pardon, though," said Mr. Toots, looking up in the captain's face, as he sat down in a chair by the fire, which the captain placed for him; "you don't happen to know the Chicken at all; do you, Mr. Gills?"

"The Chicken?" said the captain.

"The Game Chicken," said Mr. Toots.

The captain shaking his head, Mr. Toots explained that the man alluded to was the celebrated public character who had covered himself and his country with glory in his contest with the Nobby Shropshire One; but this piece of information did not appear to enlighten the captain very much.

"But

"Because he's outside; that's all," said Mr. Toots. it's of no consequence; he won't get very wet, perhaps." "I can pass the word for him in a moment," said the captain.

"Well, if you would have the goodness to let him sit in the shop with your young man," chuckled Mr. Toots, "I should be glad; because you know, he's easily offended, and the damp's rather bad for his stamina. I'll call him in, Mr. Gills."

With that, Mr. Toots, repairing to the shop door, sent a peculiar whistle into the night, which produced a stoical gentleman in a shaggy white great-coat and a flat-brimmed hat, with

very short hair, a broken nose, and a considerable tract of bare and sterile country behind each ear.

"Sit down, Chicken," said Mr. Toots.

The compliant Chicken spat out some small pieces of straw on which he was regaling himself, and took in a fresh supply from a reserve he carried in his hand.

"There ain't no drain of nothing short handy, is there?" said the Chicken, generally. "This here sluicing night is hard

lines to a man as lives on his condition."

Captain Cuttle proffered a glass of rum, which the Chicken, throwing back his head, emptied into himself, as into a cask, after proposing the brief sentiment, "Towards us!" Mr. Toots and the captain returning then to the parlour, and taking their seats before the fire, Mr. Toots began:

"Awast!" said the captain.

"My name's Cuttle."

Mr. Toots looked greatly disconcerted, while the captain proceeded gravely:

"Cap'en Cuttle is my name, and England is my nation, this here is my dwelling-place, and blessed be creation - Job," said the captain, as an index to his authority.

I couldn't see Mr. Gills, could I?" said Mr.

"Oh! Toots; "because

"If you could see Sol Gills, young gen'l'man," said the captain impressively, and laying his heavy hand on Mr. Toots's knee, "old Sol, mind you - with your own eyes- as you sit there - you'd be welcomer to me than a wind astarn to a ship becalmed. But you can't see Sol Gills. And why can't you see Sol Gills?" said the captain, apprised by the face of Mr. Toots that he was making a profound impression on that gentleman's mind. "Because he's inwisible."

Mr. Toots in his agitation was going to reply that it was of no consequence at all. But he corrected himself, and said, "Lor' bless me ! 99

"That there man," said the captain, "has left me in charge here by a piece of writing, but, though he was a'most as good as my sworn brother, I know no more where he's gone, or why he's gone if so be to seek his nevy, or if so be along of being not quite settled in his mind than you do. One morning at daybreak, he went over the side," said the captain, "without a splash, without a ripple. I have looked for that man high and

low, and never set eyes, nor ears, nor nothing else, upon him, from that hour."

"But, good gracious, Miss Dombey don't know," Mr. Toots began.

“Why, I ask you, as a feeling heart," said the captain, dropping his voice, "why should she know? Why should she be made to know, until such time as there warn't any help for it? She took to old Sol Gills, did that sweet creetur, with a kindwith a affability, ness, what's the good of saying so?

You know her."

with a

"I should hope so," chuckled Mr. Toots, with a conscious blush that suffused his whole countenance.

“And you come here from her?" said the captain.

"I should think so," chuckled Mr. Toots.

"Then all I need observe is," said the captain, "that you know a angel, and are chartered by a angel."

Mr. Toots instantly seized the captain's hand, and requested the favour of his friendship.

66

Upon my word and honour," said Mr. Toots earnestly, "I should be very much obliged to you if you'd improve my acquaintance. I should like to know you, captain, very much. I really am in want of a friend, I am. Little Dombey was my friend at old Blimber's, and would have been now, if he'd have lived. The Chicken," said Mr. Toots, in a forlorn whisper, "is very well-admirable in his way the sharpest man perhaps in the world; there's not a move he is n't up to; everybody says so - but I don't know he's not everything. So she is

an angel, captain. If there is an angel anywhere, it's Miss Dombey. That's what I've always said. Really though, you know," said Mr. Toots, "I should be very much obliged to you if you'd cultivate my acquaintance."

Captain Cuttle received this proposal in a polite manner, but still without committing himself to its acceptance; merely observing, "Ay, ay, my lad. We shall see, we shall see; " and reminding Mr. Toots of his immediate mission, by inquiring to what he was indebted for the honour of that visit.

"Why, the fact is," replied Mr. Toots, "that it's the young woman I come from. Not Miss Dombey Not Miss Dombey-Susan, you know." The captain nodded his head once, with a grave expression of face, indicative of his regarding that young woman with serious respect.

"You

"And I'll tell you how it happens," said Mr. Toots. know, I go and call sometimes on Miss Dombey. I don't go there on purpose, you know, but I happen to be in the neighbourhood very often; and when I find myself there why — why I call."

"Nat'rally," observed the captain.

"Yes," said Mr. Toots. "I called this afternoon.

Upon

my word and honour, I don't think it's possible to form an idea of the angel Miss Dombey was this afternoon."

The captain answered with a jerk of his head, implying that it might not be easy to some people, but was quite so to him. "As I was coming out," said Mr. Toots," the young woman, in the most unexpected manner, took me into the pantry."

The captain seemed, for the moment, to object to this proceeding; and leaning back in his chair, looked at Mr. Toots with a distrustful, if not threatening visage.

"Where she brought out," said Mr. Toots, "this newspaper. She told me that she had kept it from Miss Dombey all day, on account of something that was in it, about somebody that she and Dombey used to know; and then she read the passage to Very well. Then she said- wait a minute; what was it she said, though!"

me.

Mr. Toots, endeavouring to concentrate his mental powers on this question, unintentionally fixed the captain's eye, and was so much discomposed by its stern expression, that his difficulty in resuming the thread of his subject was enhanced to a painful extent.

"Oh!" said Mr. Toots after long consideration. "Oh, ah! Yes! She said that she hoped there was a bare possibility that it might n't be true; and that as she could n't very well come out herself, without surprising Miss Dombey, would I go down to Mr. Solomon Gills the Instrument-maker's in this street, who was the party's uncle, and ask whether he believed it was true, or had heard anything else in the city. She said, if he could n't speak to me, no doubt Captain Cuttle could. By the bye!" said Mr. Toots, as the discovery flashed upon him, "you, you know!

The captain glanced at the newspaper in Mr. Toots's hand, and breathed short and hurriedly.

"Well," pursued Mr. Toots, "the reason why I'm rather late is, because I went up as far as Finchley first, to get some