NEGOCIATION. 57 



powers of imbibing, asked me to join 

 them as soon as I was at liberty, as 

 they wished to speak to me. 



Not at all knowing what the nature 

 of their business might be, I readily 

 complied. The wine being put on the 

 table, and the bottle making more speedy 

 revolutions than I had of late been ac- 

 customed to, I was obliged to be on my 

 guard ; and it was some little time be- 

 fore I gathered from them that they 

 wanted my assistance in getting an old 

 friend and companion of theirs, who had 

 a little run out, as they termed it, on 

 to a box. I promised to use my interest 

 with the London proprietor for him, 

 though I could not promise them success. 

 With this they were satisfied, but not 

 with the wine, and, after I thought 

 they had had a sufficient quantity (for 

 bottle after bottle disappeared in amazing 

 rapidity), I began to perceive they had 

 another object besides the one named, 



