THE VISIT OF THE WASHERMAN. 
tTnder “Flannel Shirts,” after a great deal of 
investigation, and searching reference, one is pronounced 
short, and marked so in the book. Thus, on he 
goes over the whole list, while master is standing, 
with his hands in liis belt, looking on. When the 
counting is done, he states, that one flannel shirt and 
one jungle coat are awanting. Master steps towards the 
bed, and casts a searching look over the clothes. As 
he does so, he takes up a pair of drousers, gives them 
a shake out, saying, “These are not mine.'' He lets 
them hang down in front. “ Look,” says he, these were 
never made for me. Why, the ends of the legs only 
reach to a little below the knees, the waist only about 
half my circumference.” i urning fiercely to the washer- 
man, he exclaimed, “ What do you mean by this ? ” who 
replied, “They must be master’s, for fie had kept 
them separate, and no doubt they had shrunk in, 
during the washing; it was not liis fault if master 
chose to buy and wear such very common stuff.” The 
boy was appealed to, who must know all the clothes 
very well, but hesitated a great deal about deciding, 
probably cogitating in his own mind, whose side to 
take would be most for his own interest. But the 
washerman gives him two or three sly pjkes with his 
elbow in the ribs, which seemed at once 1o settle 
the dispute, for he promptly said, “ One small gentle- 
man came here one rainy day, all wet, wdien master 
was from home, and asked a change of trousers, which 
he got, leaving his own and taking away master’s : 
these are they. I recollect now. I do not know who 
that gentleman was. I neither saw him before .that 
-time nor after.” Whether master believed tins state- 
ment or not, he was obliged to accept it, as he never 
for a moment could entertanu the idea of scolding his 
servant for exercising the usual hospitable customs 
during his absence. The ultimate result of the counting 
in of the clothes v/as, that one flannel shirt, one jungle 
coat, and one white jacket, were awanting, and, as 
there was a dispute about the trousers, that would be 
overlooked. The washerman must bring the clothes, 
before he got any pay: in fact, the value of the articles 
was much more than tbe amount of money due him. 
On hearing this decision, the washerman looked very 
sad, sighed deeply, walked out into the verandah, 
where he sat down on his hind legs, looking mourn- 
fully into the drain. After a while, having collected 
his ideas, or more probably arranged them, he rises 
up, and approaches the door of the office, where 
master had sat down to write, and says, “ Master can 
please stop these clothes, how much master think 
worth, out of my paj^, and give me the balance. But 
the reply w^as, “One pound is due to you, and it is 
