192 THE POCKET AND THE STUD. 



" tablets of the memory," be taxed to rake up 

 all and every person they ever spoke to, and to 

 find out their residence, to make a call in the 

 carriage ? Would not Thomas be taught to give a 

 regular " Londonderry " at the door, only some- 

 what longer and louder? As the boys say, "Would 

 not he, though ? " 



All this, we must say, is a very plebeian and 

 petty sort of pride and affectation, evincing bad 

 taste, bad tact, bad education, and at once show- 

 ing a being totally unused to such appliances : it 

 is something like what a deceased acquaintance of 

 mine, one of a firm of our most eminent brewers, 

 was in the habit of doing. He had purchased a 

 magnificent white marble chimney-piece for one 

 of the sitting-rooms at his country-seat : this 

 said chimney-piece had two large bulls' heads, 

 elaborately carved. These our man of malt and 

 wealth was constantly in the habit of seizing by 

 the horns whenever any stranger happened to be 

 there; and as the act was accompanied by the 

 address of '•' Ah ! bully, bully ! " in a voice some- 

 what of the Stentorian order, it never failed call- 

 ing the attention of every one unused to it to the 

 desired point. Then came a full statement of 

 what it cost ; and the purchaser no doubt thought 

 he must look of great consequence in the eyes 

 of his hearers. In some, perhaps, he did ; but 

 extremely little in those of some others ; for it 



