238 THE DAINTY BEGGAK. 



my surprise found, on drawing out an object that 

 protruded from the foot of the animal, that I possessed 

 the pearly and gelatinous cylinder, such as the crab 

 had twice before devoured with such evident relish. 1 



It was plain then that the little rascal had become 

 so dainty, that he ' turned up his nose/ or rather his 

 'pair of noses/ at what is vulgarly termed the 'first 

 cut/ and condescended only upon the tit-bits, for his 

 marine banquet. So his crabship, in order to save 

 himself trouble, actually waited until the fishes had 

 cut up the Pholas to a certain point, when he would 

 rush forward and seize on his favourite fare. 



Some of my readers will doubtless remember the 

 anecdote of the crossing sweeper, whose idiosyncrasy 

 led him to covet diurnally a mutton-chop situated 

 in the middle of the loin. My Lacty Pepys, or Mr. 

 Saccharine, the great grocer, couldn't always procure 

 the desired 'cut!' riimporte the knight of the besom 

 met with no such disappointment. 



This individual's place of business was luckily 

 situated opposite to a noted butcher's shop, which 

 circumstance easily enabled him to watch until, from 

 the demands of sundry customers, the perspective of 

 the loin, which lay temptingly upon the chopping 

 block, had become adapted to his point of sight. 

 He would then step in and meekly order a simple 

 pound avoirdupois. With this bonne-louche care- 



1 My first introduction to the Hyaline stylet as above narrated, occurred in 

 October 1858. 



