"Why, sir," answered Tag-rag, somewhat cowed by the calm and gentlemanly, but at the same time decisive manner of Mr. Gammon--"it's really very inconvenient, and decidedly against the rules of the house, for any of my young men to be absent on business of their own during _my_ business hours; but--I suppose--what must be must be--I'll give him ten minutes--and he'd better not stay longer," he subjoined fiercely--looking significantly first at his watch, and then at Titmouse. "It's only for the sake of my other young men, you know, sir. In a large establishment like ours, we're obliged, you know, sir," &c. &c. &c., he added, in a low cringing tone, deprecatory of the contemptuous air with which he _felt_ that Mr. Gammon was regarding him. That gentleman, with a slight bow, and a sarcastic smile, presently quitted the shop, accompanied by Titmouse, who scarce knew whether his head or heels were uppermost. "How far do you live from this place, Mr. Titmouse?" inquired Mr. Gammon, as soon as they had got into the street. "Not four minutes' walk, sir; but--hem!"--he was flustered at the idea of showing so eminent a person into his wretched room--"Suppose we were to step into this tavern here, sir--I dare say they have a room at our service"---- "Pray, allow me to ask, Mr. Titmouse--have you any private papers--family writings, or things of that sort, at your rooms?" Titmouse seemed considering. "I--I think I have, sir," he replied--"one or two--but they're of no consequence." "Are you a _judge_ on that point, Mr. Titmouse?" inquired Mr. Gammon, with a smile; "pray let us, my dear sir, at once proceed to your rooms--time is very short and valuable. I should vastly like to look at these same insignificant papers of yours!" In less than two minutes' further time, Mr. Gammon was sitting at Titmouse's little rickety round table, at his lodgings, with a sheet of paper before him, and a small pencil-case in his hand, asking him a number of questions concerning his birth and family connections, and taking down his answers very carefully. Mr. Titmouse was surprised at the gentleman's knowledge of the family history of the Titmouses. As for papers, &c., Mr. Titmouse succeeded in producing four or five old letters and memoranda from the bottom of his trunk, and one or two entries, in faded ink, on the fly-leaf of a Bible of his father's, which he did not recollect having opened before for very many years, and of which said entries, till pressed on the subject by Mr. Gammon, he had been hardly aware of even the existence. With these several documents Mr. Gammon was so much struck that he proposed to take them away with him, for better and more leisurely examination, and safer custody, at their office; but Mr. Titmouse significantly hinted at his very recent acquaintance with Mr. Gammon, who, he intimated, was at liberty to come and make exact copies of them whenever he pleased, in his (Mr. Titmouse's) presence.