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230 a lot of pins stuck up, and I stood before them with a bowl in my hand, they would have all gone down?'

'No doubt of it,' he replied with a laugh; 'you want a compliment, and shall have one. Your speech was telling enough, as the coachman said to the pig, after he had cut his ear off with the lash of his whip. If I had your talents, wit, and eloquence, Ubertus, I'd lose no time. I'd get into your Parliament above-ground, and I'd soon be at the top of the tree. Your great orator would be forced to acknowledge that he had at last heard of his match.'

We rattled on; our horses exhibited no signs of fatigue, but tore along at a tremendous pace. Their driver, the Doctor himself, only chirrupped to them now and then, and took no further notice. He gave me the benefit of some of his hoarded wisdom while we were upon the road, and spoke, as nearly as I can remember, to the following purport:

'Lo, and behold! Isn't it something rich to meditate upon? We were nearly out of this cursed hole, you and I and the Emperor of Demons together, and all my dreams of glory, and fond anticipations of eternal love and joy with God and Helen—mark you that—are smashed to pieces as by the crash of a mighty tornado. You are not yet eighty years old, and you say you are an old man: perhaps you are in your dotage. I call you a young man, but you are not too young to have some sound sense, and be above the helpless condition of a child, nor too poorly educated to be deficient in the good qualities of prudence and forethought. Do not be too down-hearted, my young friend; I have no desire to sit upon you too heavily. I hate extremes as much as any man; nearly all man's misery is owing to his incurable propensity to go to extremes. The foolish word of a single moment will blot out for ever the noble thoughts and deeds of a lifetime, and the act done in