"Mr. Titmouse! my dear sir," said Mr. Gammon, softly, "what is the matter with you? How could we so misunderstand each other?" Titmouse's small cunning was on the _qui vive_, and he saw and followed up his advantage. "I am going," said he, in a resolute tone, "to speak to some one else in the morning." "Ah, to be sure!" replied Mr. Gammon, with a smile of utter unconcern--"I supposed as much--'tis a matter which of course, however, signifies nothing to any one--but yourself. You will take any steps, my dear sir, that occur to you, and act as you may be advised!" "Monstrous kind of you, 'pon my life! to come and give me such good advice!" exclaimed Titmouse, with a sneer--but consciously baffled. "Oh, don't mention it!" said Gammon, coolly; "I came out of pure good-nature, to assure you that our office, notwithstanding what has passed, entertains not the slightest personal ill feeling towards you, in thus throwing off our hands a fearfully expensive, and most harassing enterprise--which we have feared from the first had been too rashly undertaken"---- "Hem!" exclaimed Titmouse, involuntarily, once or twice. "So good-night, Mr. Titmouse--good-night! God bless you! and think hereafter of all this as a mere idle dream--as far as _we_ are concerned!" Mr. Gammon, in the act of returning to the door, extended his hand to Mr. Titmouse, whom he instantly perceived to be melting rapidly. "Why, sir," quoth Titmouse, with a mixture of embarrassment and alarm, "if I thought you all meant the correct thing--hem! I say, the _correct_ thing by me--I shouldn't so much mind a little disappointment for the time; but you must own, Mr. Gammon, it is very hard being kept out of one's own so long--honor, now! isn't it?" "True, very true, Mr. Titmouse. Very hard it is, indeed, to bear, and we all felt deeply for you, and would have set everything in train"---- "_Would have!_ oh my stars!"---- "Yes, my dear Mr. Titmouse, we _would_ have done it, and believed we could have brought you through every difficulty--over every obstacle, prodigious though they are, and almost innumerable." "Why--you--don't--hardly--quite--mean to say you've given it all up?--What, already! 'Pon my life! Oh Lord!" exclaimed Titmouse, in evident trepidation. Mr. Gammon had triumphed over Mr. Titmouse! whom, nothing loath, he brought back, in two minutes' time, into the room which Titmouse had just before so insolently quitted. Mr. Quirk and Mr. Snap had now _their_ parts to perform in the little scene which they had determined on enacting. They were in the act of locking up desks and drawers, evidently on the move, and received Mr. Titmouse with an air of cold surprise. "Mr. Titmouse again!" exclaimed Mr. Quirk, taking his gloves out of his hat. "Back again!--This, sir, is quite an unexpected honor!" "Leave anything behind?" inquired Mr. Snap, affecting to look about him--"don't _see_ anything"----