Page:Blackwood's Magazine volume 046.djvu/530

518 to do the Liberal Thing if any thing suitable Turns up of it.

"T. T.

("Sunday Evening, 9/7/183–.

"Forgot to Say, I am the only Child of my Honoured Parents, who died; before I knew them in Lawful Wedloc, and was 27 last Birth Day, Never having Seen your Advertisement till this Night, wʰ, if Necessary can prove.")

This perspicuous and truly elegant performance having been thrice subjected to the critical examination of the friends, was then folded up, and directed to "Messrs Quirk and Co.," a great straggling wet wafer having been first put upon it. It was safely deposited, a few minutes afterwards, with the old woman of the house, and then the two West-End gentlemen hastened away from that truly plebeian part of the town. Under four different gas-lights did they stop, take out the newspaper, and spoil over the advertisement; by which ingenious processes they at length succeeded in satisfying themselves that there was something in it. They parted, however, with a considerable abatement of the excitement with which they had set out on their voyage of discovery.

Mr Titmouse did not, on reaching his room, take off and lay aside his precious Sunday apparel with his accustomed care and deliberation. On the contrary, he peeled them off, as it were, and threw himself on the bed as quickly as possible, in order that he might calmly revolve the immense event of the day in his mind, which it had agitated like a stone thrown into a stagnant pool by the road-side. Oh,how restless was he!—not more so could he have been had he lain between horse-hair sheets. He repeatedly got up and walked two or three steps, which were all that his room admitted of, and then sunk into bed again—but not to sleep, till four or five o'clock; having nevertheless to rise at half-past six, to resume his detested duties at Dowlas and Go's., whose shop he assisted in opening at seven o'clock, as usual. When he and his shopmates were sitting together at breakfast, he could not help letting out a little, vaguely and mysteriously, about "something that might happen in the course of the day;" and thereby succeeded in satisfying his companions that he expected the visit of a policeman, for some row he had been concerned in over night. Well, eight, nine, ten o'clock wore away heavily, and nothing transpired, alas! to vary the monotonous duties in which Mr Titmouse was engaged; bale after bale, and package after package, he took down and put up again, at the bidding of pretty capricious customers; silk, satin, bombasins, crapes, muslins, ribands, gloves, he assisted in displaying and disposing of as usual; but it is certain that his powerful understanding could no longer settle itself, as before, upon his responsible and arduous duties. Every other minute, he cast a feverish furtive glance towards the door. He almost dropped, at one time, as a postman crossed from the opposite side of the street, as if to enter their shop—then passing on immediately, however, to the next door. Not a person, in short, entered the premises, that he did not scrutinize narrowly and anxiously, but in vain. No—buying and selling was the order of the day, as usual!—eleven o'clock struck, and he sighed. "You don't seem well," said a pretty young woman, to whom, in a somewhat absent manner, he was exhibiting and describing the qualities of some cambric. "Oh—ye—es, uncommon!" he replied; "never better, ma'am, than when so well employed!" accompanying the latter words with what he conceived to be a very arch, but which was in fact a very impudent look at his fair customer. At that moment, a voice called out to him from the further end of the shop, near the door—"Titmouse wanted!"

"Coming!" he shouted, turning as white as the cambric beheld in his hands—which became suddenly cold and clammy; while his heart went thump, thump, as he hastily exclaimed, to the astonished lady, "Excuse me, ma'am, if you please—Jones," to the shopman next him, "will you attend to this lady?" and he hastened whither he had been called, amidst a prevalent grin and "hem!" from his companions on each side, as he passed along the shop, till he reached a middle-aged gentlemanly, looking person, standing near the door, and bowed to him.

"Mr Titmouse?" enquired the stranger, blandly.