attention. Sam Weller is an example. He is a man-servant, who makes a peculiar kind of jokes, and is wonderfully felicitous in certain similes. You see him at his first introduction:— ‘“My friend,” said the thin gentleman. ‘“You’re one o’ the adwice gratis order,” thought Sam, “or you wouldn’t be so werry fond o’ me all at once.” But he only said—“Well, sir?” ‘“My friend,” said the thin gentlemen, with a conciliatory hem—“Have you got many people stopping here, now? Pretty busy? Eh?” ‘Sam stole a look at the inquirer. He was a little high-dried man, with a dark squeezed-up face, and small restless black eyes, that kept winking and twinkling on each side of his little inquisitive nose, as if they were playing a perpetual game of peep-bo with that feature. He was dressed all in black, with boots as shiny as his eyes, a low white neckcloth, and a clean shirt with a frill to it. A gold watch-chain, and seals, depended from his fob. He carried his black kid gloves _in_ his hands, not _on_ them; and as he spoke, thrust his wrists beneath his coat-tails, with the air of a man who was in the habit of propounding some regular posers. ‘“Pretty busy, eh?” said the little man. ‘“Oh, werry well, sir,” replied Sam, “we shan’t be bankrupts, and we shan’t make our fort’ns. We eats our biled mutton without capers, and don’t care for horse-radish ven ve can get beef?” ‘“Ah,” said the little man, “you’re a wag, ain’t you?” ‘“My eldest brother was troubled with that complaint,” said Sam, “it may be catching—I used to sleep with him.” ‘“This is a curious old house of yours,” said the little man, looking round him. ‘“If you’d sent word you was a coming, we’d ha’ had it repaired,” replied the imperturbable Sam. ‘The little man seemed rather baffled by these several repulses, and a short consultation took place between him and the two plump gentlemen. At its conclusion, the little man took a pinch of snuff from an oblong silver box, and was apparently on the point of renewing the conversation, when one of the plump gentlemen, who, in addition to a benevolent countenance, possessed a pair of spectacles and a pair of black gaiters, interfered— ‘“The fact of the matter is,” said the benevolent gentleman, “that my friend here” (pointing to the other plump gentleman) “will give you half a guinea, if you’ll answer one or two—” ‘“Now, my dear sir—my dear sir,” said the little man, “pray allow me—my dear sir, the very first principle to be observed in these cases is this: if you place a matter in the hands of a professional man, you must in no way interfere in the progress of the business; you must repose implicit confidence in him. Really, Mr. (he turned to the other plump gentleman, and said)—I forget your friend’s name.”