THE PJROFIT AND LOSS. 11 



a glass of cliampag-ne^ I could plainly see, from Ids coun- 

 tenance, that he was reading' in mine a clear case of 

 having- ^^ taken* a liberty " with my own mare. Put him 

 right I could not ; and so, after agreeing to another taste 

 of the champag-ne, which, for want of customers, poor 

 Prime was turning- to home consumption, the silk-shirted 

 hero made again for the weighing-house, with the point 

 of his whip in his mouth, and evidently deeply engaged 

 in an inward argument as to his pink-and-white patron 

 being more rogue or fool. 



I was thinking of something the same sort myself. 



To him succeeded our Tally-ho friend, all on the look- 

 out, with the word in his mouth, and the book in his 

 hand. " Come now, then, Fortunatus, how many sub- 

 scriptions am I to put you down for?" 



''Well, I think one must " 



" One I you avaricious rascal ! — one ! after swee^^ing 

 off that pocketful of money ! Come, come, our fair friends 

 here, I know, will make him behave better than that. 



Let's see — 'what's your d d name?' as the man in 



the play says." Ah ! Wilham Alphonzo Oxford, Esq. 

 Ditto ditto to that j and then, of course, 3Irs. William 

 Alphonzo Oxford, Esq. Miss Richards, I'm sure you'll 

 let me chronicle you in such good coaipany ?" 



" Not at present, sir, — that is, if I am permitted to say 

 no," replied that amiable lady, with a irosty-faced smile 

 that passed the gentlemen tout on in less than no time. 



Matters were getting serious indeed, and as a sequitur, 

 some of the scamps began to laugh ; but, egad ! 'twas no 

 laughing' matter either. Pontybwnbyllyn never looked 



" Taking a liberty " -with a liorse stands for laying long odd.s 

 against liim. 



