A WOULD-BE ESTATE PEOPIilETOR OF THE 
OLDEN TIME. 
entered into a general conversation with them, told 
where he had been, and all he had experienced. They 
all smiled, and touched each other slyly on the ribs, 
but the smile was not perceived, for as they did 
so the hands were drawn, just as if accidentally, 
over the face and mouth, and while they drew their 
hands over their faces they condoled with him, and 
feelingly sympathized with him in his persistent 
routine of evil incident, But the gentleman with 
whom they sympathized had frequently to say “Beg 
pardon, but I did not hear you, ” upon which one of 
the young men drew a handkerchief from his belt, 
applied it forcibly to his mouth, and said he had 
a severe attack of tooth-ache ; the rest of the young 
men then all got up, and went round the corner of 
the verandah, saying they would bring something to 
cure this tooth-ache; but they were a long time of 
coming back, and Mr Diddler was under the impres- 
sion, from the sounds he heard, that they had found 
something that amused them very much, in the 
stables. So he very feelingly got up, ordered some 
brandy, brought it out into the verandah with his 
own hands, gave it to the young man, and told him 
to keep it in his mouth for a little. He raised the 
glass to his mouth, swallowed it at a gulp? but pre- 
tended it was only in his mouth ; he then made as 
if he was spitting it out, blandly raised his head, said 
he was so much better, but would Mr. Diddler “kindly 
— ^get — get — ” “ Certainly, certainly, my good fellow,” 
cries Mr Diddler, “ a nasty thing is tooth-ache. Boy, 
some more brandy — ray account you know, down to me.” 
The toothache being now cured, at least in a temporary 
way, the company all again sat .dowm, and entered into 
a general couver^ation. The young man told Mr Diddler, 
the w’ay he had gone about inspecting his land was all 
wrong. He ought to have made full preparations, in this 
way: engaged a dozen conlies with billhooks, carried a 
email tent with bedding, also a stock of food and liquor, 
and in this fine weather, he would have found the trip 
would have resulted in being capital fun j also taken a few 
friends, who knew something about land, and last, although 
not least, a couple of guns. “ Had you provided yourself so, 
who knows, you might have shot the elephant, which would 
have been a capital adventure for you to talk about on 
your return.” Mr Diddler here interrupted him, “No, no, 
I am no sportsman— never could see any sport in mur- 
dering, and taking away the lives of animals. I can’t 
shoot, and what is the use of one who can’t shoot, burden- 
ing himself, carrying about a gun ? Even supposing I had 
taken a gun, it would never have been used, for I prefer, 
infinitely prefer, running away, and so live to run another 
day. Hope not, however : not a good hand at running, but 
it really isf astonishing, very, what one can do in that way 
