THE TEA-DEALER. 
141 
dexterity. She was a comely woman, and, fortu- 
nately for him, turned out an excellent manager ; 
his expenses were therefore not materially increased. 
Having been represented to the servants of a gen- 
tleman residing in the country as an honest fellow 
who sold excellent tea for a small profit, he found 
among them a ready sale for the commodity in which 
he dealt ; and though they were keen chafferers and 
generally pushed a hard bargain with him, still he 
was constant in his attendance upon them, as the 
establishment was large, the sale therefore considera- 
ble, and his money returns quick. His civility more- 
over was appreciated, so that he always found a ready 
welcome among those merry domestics. 
He was one day upon the point of quitting the 
house, when he chanced to pass the master as the latter 
was ascending the steps of the portico. The gentle- 
man seemed suddenly struck with his appearance, 
eyeing him with an eager and somewhat impatient 
curiosity. The poor huckster, for he occasionally sold 
other things besides tea when he found he could turn 
such traffic to profitable account, felt abashed at the 
rigid and unexpected scrutiny, touched his hat with 
a tremulous obsequiousness as he passed the lord of 
the mansion, and made the best of his way home, 
fearing that the gentleman had entertained some un- 
favourable suspicion of him. As soon as he had re- 
tired, the master asked his servants what they knew 
respecting him, and though this was very little, it 
was still sufficient to induce him to desire again to see 
the itinerant tea-dealer ; he therefore gave orders that 
he should be apprised the next time the latter called. 
