though, as a bad soldier is drummed out of the regiment, you have been rung out of the place for being a bad Christian."

"Give me a case, and let me help you. I can speak and work, think and work, and sing and work; then I will tell you all about the town; how it is spreading its great wings over the fields where we used to play; and about the river which we used to wade, that now requires a good swimmer to cross.' "Well, as you like."

This was an old saying of Gal's. "Well, as you like," meant, "I never wrangle; if it pleases one and does good to another, without harming either, in that case he is a churl who gives a refusal."

My new friend invited me to sup at his house; and, by way of showing his respect for me, gave me to understand that no one of his office had ever been there.

I told him what the governor had said about his spare

room.

"I am glad you have mentioned it to me. No; on no account go there. I know his purpose. He looks a good man; but you must not depend on looks in London. Evade giving an answer for a fortnight. A circumstance is going to take place, when we shall want a hand or two. Call upon me any day after four; knowing the wish of the proprietor to oblige the gentleman who gave you the letter, I will keep our governor tight to his promise; but never mention the letter to any

one."

I followed the advice of my new friend, and notwithstanding rebuffs from one, or the interested remarks of another, in less. than a fortnight, with the assistance of Mr. Gal, I entered upon my new situation.

TEMPTATION.

I HAD now reached an epoch in life-an epoch fraught with good, or fraught with evil-an epoch that determines a young aspirant's rise or fall in life-the period of moral control—the epoch of temptation-the time for self-control and resistance.

My son, young man, or whosoever you may be, if London, or any large city, is to be your chosen field, in which you desire to earn reputation, renown, or riches; if you have not moral courage to refuse boldly that which you know is pernicious-ruinous; if you have not self-control to smile at the tempter; if you have not sufficiency of self-denial to enable you to resist the "only a glass," fly from London, for you are as able to erect a Babel, as to establish yourself in the city of temptation. How many have I seen, young men, too, with prospects much greater than mine own, who, through yielding to the 66 only a glass," have become tenants of an early grave; some that have escaped the shafts of death are to be found in the workhouse; others are to be seen about the streets, scarcely distinguishable from the common beggar.

Of all vices, DRUNKENNESS is the worst; it is the parent of all others. He who indulges in the glass undermines his reason; and, losing control over himself, passion triumphs, and the brute-par is the level of his condition. Should a tempter say, "Only a glass;" reply-" No, nor a thimbleful.” A few such answers, delivered in cold earnestness, will rid you of such friends.

I was scarcely in my new situation a week when I found out that I was, with an exception or two, surrounded by two classes of men-knaves and fools. One knave supplied the fools with money, which, with interest, was deducted from their wages on Saturday; another sold spirits in the office, and at every leisure half-hour, "A refresher, my boy," greeted each ear. The fellow-knave got off with single chalks; the double chalks were reserved for the heedless, good-hearted fools. The gin-supplier only asked me once. I looked at him straight in the face, and taking advantage of the information I had received from my friend Gal, I made the sign of a double chalk, and sneeringly said, "No, sir." The bad man never asked me again. Soon afterwards he died an untimely death, and was buried, unpitied, in the Savoy churchyard.

THE TAPROOM PAGANINI.

41

Instead of frequenting public-houses and "sing-songs," I became a member of the Mechanics' Institution, and with the view of improving my French I occasionally visited a French hotel, where, under the pretence of playing dominoes with some poor, isolated Frenchmen, I received, what I considered, a good French 'lesson.

Here I met two men ;-and if there ever lived two like to the two first-born of woman, they were personified in Hammers the musician, and Courvoisier the murderer.

Poor Hammers! Well you must recollect him, my son. He it was who, when you were an infant, used to place you in the baby-jumper, play the violin, while your little feet kept time to his plaintive tunes or merry airs. Poor Hammers was fond of you; and when you had secured his spectacles and my hat and boots, his ejaculation!—an improper one-expressed what he could not find words to explain.

Hammers came to London with Strauss's band-a band that lent fresh grace to the waltz, elegant poses to the dancer, and thrilling music to the ear. How great had been his fall! From a principal of a far-famed band; from a good composer and arranger, he had become a wonder-the Paganini of a taproom, and the subservient tool of men who thought it no disgrace to buy fortune and reputation for a trifle. Poor Hammers! Before I knew him, the seed of dissipation had germinated, sprung up, blossomed, and was then in full bloom. I tried hard to uproot the unwholesome plant; but I only succeeded in nipping the flowers, which, like monthly roses, bloomed afresh. Besides engaging him half a day every week and securing pupils, from whom he could have realized a fair living, I got him a regular situation in a band; but he gave up all to be the lord of a tap-room, where he was rewarded for his performance by a plentiful supply of grog, and a subscription made up by the parties present.

Whenever Hammers failed in the wherewithal to secure a dinner, then his long, thin, emaciated form used to stalk

D

silently into my office with a manuscript sheet of music in his hand.

"Well, Hammers, out of luck's way. Have you run into debt with the landlord, and does he now refuse to give you a dinner?"

His usual ejaculation! then, “Ah, you po-ett; alvays full of dee fun. Vy, I tell you vat; I have just compose such a bu-uty, and I have put you for dedication."

"The mischief you have. Then that means, Hammers, that I am to have it for nothing."

66

On one occasion, when he brought me a bu-uty," I looked at him; it was winter; he had scarcely a shoe to his foot, and his elbows protruded through his coat sleeves. “ Well, Hammers, I think a pair of my shoes and one of my coats would be a fair price for it."

His ejaculation! and "Vat a clever to guess so; it vas for dat dat I wrote dee bu-uty; but you know you must geev me money too; for I must sell your coat to get one bigger von."

"Fiddle; try this on; see, it has swallow tails—it was made for me when I was thinner."

"And was you tall as me?"

"Don't you know that all great men, po-etts, as you call them, grow short as they grow wise; we change length into breadth for the sake of warmth and convenience."

Hammers tried on the coat; hearty laughter ensued, interrupted by remarks and ejaculations. I satisfied poor Hammers.

Perhaps three months might have elapsed before Hammers called on me again; and when he did, I retreated, bowing and scraping; laughing, and pleased at the outward man of the simple, good-hearted musician. He was dressed beyond the top of fashion; a shirt-collar, stiff and white, reached his ears; shirt-bands to the tips of his fingers; kid gloves, a gold chain, and in his right hand, a silver-mounted switch.

"Well," I exclaimed, laughing" thou monster, licked into

the shape of a puppy; where, and how, and by what means, hast thou been metamorphosed?"

"I live at the Hubbubs."

"Where is the Hubbubs? Is it upon earth, under it, or ?—

"Vat, don't you know Hubbubs, in Covent Garden ?" "You mean the Hummums Hotel?"

“To be surely.”

"What! has some fortunate event given you a kingdom to squander away, Hammers ?”

"No; my old friend V

Bench."

"What, the profligate that first enticed you from your honourable calling; he, who, after making a wreck of that which was noble, left his victim to starve, or to become a street fiddler, or vagrant, for what he cared?”

"Oh, but he could not found me. His father ees dead, and he ees going to get married to an heiress. I am going to play and write music for him, and teach his new vife?"

Well, Hammers, so far so good. If your friend, as you call him, will only undo what he did in years of profligacy, no one will be more pleased at the change than myself. Go with him; any change is better than the life you have lately led; I have my own opinion in regard to your friend's kindness, which time will prove."

"Vat is dat."

"Never mind. Go with him, and be as steady as possible. Where did he find you?"

66 "O dat was very funny-O vat a fun! Vy, you know the public-house. Vell, I have been stopping dere two month. I play to dee society in dee evening, and accompany dee songs dat dey sing very good company, very. L. R. [an unfortunate literary gentleman, of some note], takes dee chair. Ve break up at two, sometimes tree in dee morning; so I have no bed. I vait till a printer go out at five, ven pot-boy vake me to put me in his varm place. Vell; I vas asleep, vith my