TAKING CAKE OF ONE’S OHAKACTEK. 
it wrong ? Why slionld tliey talk about it. I always do 
it.” ‘‘It’s all very well for you,” says he, “you are an 
independent man, with a source of income from foreign 
parts. I am a man in town, business well-known, and must 
take care what I do. . I must take care of my character.” 
Our friend mildly represents that he does not see how- 
smoking a cigar in the street^ can detrimentally affect 
a man’s character ; if there is anything really wicked 
or sinful in smoking tobacco, it is just as bad to smoke 
on the sly, in fact worse, for to commit a wicked 
action in secret and then go forth, pretending innocence, 
is just the very v/orst sort of hypocrisy. The reply 
was, “ Argument is all very well for you, but it won’t 
do for the like of us. But I am thirty and must have 
a glass of beer, come on, and have a drink.” Out 
they sally into the street. They pass a great many 
very comfortable-looking, respectable places for re- 
tailing liquors. Our friend points them out, and says, 
“Let’s go inhere, here’s a nice place,” but the reply 
always is, “No, no, not there. Come on.” Up one street, 
down another, to the right round one corner, to the left 
round another, and the two gentlemen are in a very 
quiet dismal-looking back lane ; they now walk slowly 
until the companion comes to a stand, looks up the 
street and down the street, and is apparently satis- 
fied with the inspection, for he suddenly disappears 
through a glass door, which shuts ifself with a rebound. 
Our friends then enters and sees no one, except the 
man behind the counter. So he asks where the gen- 
tleman is who just entered, and is shewn into some 
back premises, all divided and subdivided into a sort 
of stalls and boxes ; these stalls are all boarded up, 
so that none can see in ; they have a plank seat round 
them, a table in the centre, and a bell rope hangs from 
the ceiling, it is very dark, the only light being from 
a small skylight high up, in the roof. The bell was 
touched and two glasses of beer ordered, when our 
friends ventures to ask, “ What is the meaning of all 
this : passing by all the really comfortable- looking 
places of public entertainment, and coming so far, into 
this den of a place ? Is the beer considered anything 
superior ?” “No, no,” says the companion. “ No, no, 
but you know nobody would see us going in here, at 
least none who could possibly know who I am. I 
know you are a rfgardles:? fellow, and don’t care what 
people say, but I am not, lean tell you !” “ Kegard- 
less fellow, indeed!” says our iiidigi: ant friend, “What 
13 the meaning of all this ? I told you I saw nothing 
wrong in smoking a cigar, or rather in being seen 
smoking, and I now tell you there cannot be any im- 
propriety in drinking a glass, or, for that fact of it, 
even two or three, of beer if one is thirty, and cer- 
