"There," said Matt, after they had walked a little way along the street, he all the while rubbing his forefinger slowly round and round his pill snuff-box, "I've taken all my snuff, as ought to have lasted till to-morrow night, and all through that precious woman's tongue. Let's go in here, sir, and get a penn'orth." "Here" was a very dirty-looking little tobacconist's and news-agent's; and, so as to leave no stone unturned, Matt, whilst being served, made inquiry touching Mr Phillips, a surgeon. "No," said the woman who served, as she allayed the irritation of her nasal organ by rubbing it with the back of the hand which held the snuff-scoop, and so provoked a loud fit of sneezing,--"no, not in my time." "How long has that been?" said Matt. "Five years," replied the woman. Septimus Hardon walked out of the shop, and, after paying for his snuff, old Matt followed him into the street, and they bent their steps homewards. "I'm dull and stupid and not right, you see," said Matt, "or else I should have known why the name wasn't in the newest of those two Directories. One, you see, was more than ten years old, and the other-- well, it wasn't the newest. But you leave it to me, sir, and I'll try and find a medical directory, for I think there is such a thing. I know there is a legal one, for I helped print it; and there's one for the parsons, so there's safe to be one for the doctors. I'll ferret it out, sir; and I shall be better to-morrow. Those look nice, don't they?" said the old man, stopping short in front of a pork-butcher's shop. "Very," said Septimus dreamily, and without glancing at the freshly-made chains of sausages hanging from the hooks in the window. "You may always buy your sausages here, and depend upon 'em," said Matt; "and if you'll listen to my advice, you'll take a pound back with you. They'll wrap 'em in a bit of paper for you, and you can slip them in your pocket, and have a nice fry for tea when you get home, and then rest content; for, though we haven't done much, and I should have liked you to have taken that landlord's name and address, yet things are getting in train, I can tell you. So you wait quietly at home, sir, till I come again, for I suppose you won't want to do anything yourself. I shall be stronger and better to-morrow or next day, I hope, for somehow I can't get along as I used, and feel weak and muddled. But there, sir, slip in and get them sausages, and have a bit of patience, and don't try to build any more till our mortar's a bit settled." Septimus Hardon smiled sadly at the idea of his being impatient to go on with the search, and, obeying his companion's hest, he obtained the pound of flesh; and then they walked slowly on till they were once more within the shadow of the law. "And now I'm off, sir," said Matt, stopping short in Carey-street. "I think I shall go and lie down." "Can I do anything for you?" said Septimus earnestly.