"How _can_ you?--how--_can_--you?"--interrupted the object of my animadversions, gasping for breath, and tearing off, with a desperate exertion, the bandage around his jaws--"how _can_ you, Mr. Lacko'breath, be so infernally cruel as to pinch me in that manner by the nose? Did you not see how they had fastened up my mouth--and you _must_ know--if you know any thing--what a vast superfluity of breath I have to dispose of! If you do _not_ know, however, sit down and you shall see. In my situation it is really a great relief to be able to open one's mouth--to be able to expatiate--to be able to communicate with a person like yourself who do not think yourself called upon at every period to interrupt the thread of a gentleman's discourse. Interruptions are annoying and should undoubtedly be abolished--don't you think so?--no reply, I beg you,--one person is enough to be speaking at a time. I shall be done, by and bye, and then you may begin. How the devil, sir, did you get into this place?--not a word I beseech you--been here some time myself--terrible accident!--heard of it I suppose--awful calamity!--walking under your windows--some short while ago--about the time you were stage-struck--horrible occurrence! heard of 'catching one's breath,' eh?--hold your tongue I tell you!--I caught somebody else's!--had always too much of my own--met Blab at the corner of the street--would'nt give me a chance for a word--could'nt get in a syllable edgeways--attacked, consequently, with Epilepsis--Blab made his escape--damn all fools!--they took me up for dead, and put me in this place--pretty doings all of them!--heard all you said about me--every word a lie--horrible!--wonderful!--outrageous!--hideous!--incomprehensible!--et cetera--et cetera--et cetera--et cetera"---- It is impossible to conceive my astonishment at so unexpected a discourse; or the extravagant joy with which I became gradually convinced that the breath so fortunately caught by the gentleman--whom I soon recognized as my neighbor Windenough--was, in fact, the identical expiration mislaid by myself in the conversation with my wife. Time--place--and incidental circumstances rendered it a matter beyond question. I did not however, immediately release my hold upon Mr. W.'s proboscis--not at least during the long period in which the inventor of lombardy poplars continued to favor me with his explanations. In this respect I was actuated by that habitual prudence which has ever been my predominating trait.