Our chief agent here craved five minutes--saying he thought they ought to have a band of music. He secretly determined to grace the final _coup_ by a demonstration in which three bands were to play their part. He also privately determined to bring Jem Smash, and all his fighting men, and all the other hired ruffians, to guard our new contingent, in case the enemy, suspecting a trick, should set their forces in battle array against our unprotected citizens. We should lose the election if even a short delay arose from an attack upon us. Shufflebotham thought they might as well have a little music. I was not at all sorry it was so arranged. I wanted to have a few words with Shufflebotham by himself, and to let him have a taste of my quality and smartness, or perhaps I should rather say, whet his appetite for that taste. The barber led me outside to the yard of the Pig and Whistle, and addressing me, inquired, "I suppose you have got the money all right?" "Oh, yes," I replied. "Will you give it us, then?" "No," I said; "I cannot do that until you and your men have voted, you know." "How am I to know that you will give it me then? No d--tricks, or by G--your gentleman" (meaning the candidate) "shall suffer for it, as true as my name's John Shufflebotham." Things had worked more felicitously than I had anticipated, or than my plans were estimated to work. I now saw that the patriotic barber was already outwitted, if I chose to break faith with him at this point. He was bound to vote as his men did, or if he slunk away he had secured them for us. It was now impossible to invent another excuse to those truly honest fellows for reversing their collective decision. Still I thought it would be as well to keep in with the barber to the last. I wanted to let him and some people see how neatly I could work out the stratagem. "Well, I think you have as much right to trust me as I have to trust you," I said; "but I don't mind meeting you half-way. I don't care whether you do or not, though. I know those honest fellows will go up and vote for our man. You cannot prevent that now, can you, Mr. Shufflebotham? If you try to spoil our game (which I don't think you can spoil), our bargain is off, and I sha'n't feel bound to give you any thing, whether you succeed in upsetting it or not." Shufflebotham saw that he was practically done, in the matter of security at least, and that he must entirely trust in me; so he agreed to meet me half-way. "What do you mean to do, then?" said Shufflebotham, and as he spoke the sound of wind-instruments floated on the summer breeze. It was evident that the musicians were coming in the direction of the Pig and Whistle. I was afraid of the finishing touches of my artifice being a little marred, so I hastily said,