RECOLLECTIONS OF A FREE TRADER. 327 



Under these depressing circumstances it became absolutely neces- 

 sary for me either to resume my duties, or to bid farewell to the 

 craft at once, and for ever. To minds of a feebler and less resolute 

 turn than mine, thank God happens to be, this occurrence might have 

 proved injurious. I however soon recovered the inconvenience, 

 and although the affair does even yet haunt me unseasonably, 

 I soon prepared to resume my necessary avocations, for which I 

 entertained a natural relish. Young snatchers, may from my expe- 

 rience learn, that the profession is not always as agreeable as they 

 in the hurricane of their poetical imagination may fancy it ; those 

 who have not a decided turn for the pursuit, had better not adopt 

 it. A genuine snatcher, as the classics say, is, " nascitur non fit." 

 The business of claiming the unknown bodies of suicides and of 

 those who died friendless and unowned in workhouses, was in many 

 instances left to my management, and so successfully was it for a 

 time prosecuted while the great cause of anatomical science was 

 thereby assisted, our pockets gave most sensible and satisfactory 

 evidence of the good resulting from this branch of practice ; but I 

 got involved in a dilemma, which had like to have ended seri- 

 ously. 



The body of a young woman had been found floating down the 

 river by a waterman, who brought it on shore ; it was deposited in 

 the bone-house of St. Saviour's, and advertised. Of course I identi- 

 fied the body, declaring it to be that of a very dear sister, who had 

 lately left the country, to take the situation of lady's-maid in a family 

 at the west end of the town, with whose name I was unacquainted. 

 To assign any reason for the rash act, was out of my power; I 

 merely stated that she had been deserted by a young man, who was 

 endeared to her by an acquaintance of years, and that his having 

 married another person, might have so far preyed on her health and 

 spirits, as to have driven her to this rash act. After having mani- 

 fested an abundance of sorrow, tears flowing plentifully, and bitterly 

 lamented that my own circumstances were so narrow, as to prevent 

 my giving her the funeral attentions I might have wished : the jury 

 before whom I had appeared, expressed much sympathy, and a dis- 

 position to afford me some pecuniary assistance. This was almost 

 too good. As they were about to consult on their verdict, and 

 determine the matter, as they doubtless would have done, to my 

 satisfaction, a most unacceptable intruder made his appearance, who 

 completely altered the face of the affair, and put my character in a 

 remarkably unpleasant state of jeopardy. A rough, uncouth-looking 

 man, of about forty years of age, attired as a mechanic, entered the 

 room, and, in an unceremonious manner, stated that she had been 

 living for some years as a milliner, occupying apartments in his own 

 house, for which she had paid regularly, until within the last few 

 months. This man continued to state, that during the last few 

 months she had become acquainted with a man, who represented 

 himself to be chief clerk in a merchant's counting-house, who had 

 succeeded in gaining the affections of this poor girl, and on the pro- 

 mise of a speedy marriage had, in addition, borrowed of her the last 

 penny she possessed, and induced her to put her name to various 



