"No sooner had he regained his cell than the
governor made his appearance.

"'I telegraphed this morning,' said the latter,
cheerfully, 'to our excellent functionary, C.,
who is absent, professionally, in Kent, and I
have no doubt he will arrive in admirable time.
What will you have for supper?'

"Sir Charles declined to eat. He had been
swallowing carbon all day in that suffocating
court, and thought he would lie down for an
hour or two.

"Late in the evening the governor returned.

"'Here's a dilemma! C. has got the mumps.
What on earth are we to do?'

"The prisoner intimated that that was the
sheriff's business, not his.

"'C. has, indeed, promised to send a substitute;
but can we rely upon him, do you think?'
asked the perplexed governor.

"Sir Charles replied, that, as a perfect stranger
to the gentleman in question, it would not
become him to offer an opinion on that point; and,
only requesting that he might not be called up to
no purpose, he bade the governor good night, and
retired to rest.

"It is unnecessary to dwell upon the scenes of
that night in the vicinity of Oldgate Jail. The
crowd was estimated at about thirty thousand.
The wooden barricades with which the police had
ingeniously interlaced the entire thoroughfare,
answered their purpose so effectually that nearly
six hundred ribs were broken before midnight.

"As the hour of eight approached, the excitement
became terrific. It was nothing, however,
in comparison with the anxiety that possessed
the worthy governor, as minute after minute
slipped by, and neither C. nor deputy appeared.

"The prisoner, who had been appealed to, to
get up, so as to be in readiness when wanted,
positively declined. The governor was still
engaged in mild expostulation with him, when a
warder rushed in and announced that the deputy
had actually driven up to the prison-gate. But,
in the act of passing from the cab to the interior
of the jail, his heart had failed him. He had
dived among the crowd, and disappeared. The
mob was becoming impatient. There was every
prospect of a disturbance. It wanted but a
minute and a half of the time. Here was the
prisoner still comfortably in bed. There were but
two courses to pursue. Reprieve, or execution.
Under the pressure of circumstances, the excellent
governor resolved to strain a point, and
discharge the prisoner on his own responsibility.

"Sir Charles at once assented. The crowd
dispersed, with a few groans; a fight or two, in
which the police lightly intermingled, consoling
them, in some degree, for the disappointment.
The prisoner rose, dressed, and in half an hour
was seated at breakfast at an hotel in Brook-
street, Grosvenor-square, perusing, in the Morning
Anticipator, an accurate and circumstantial
account (printed overnight) of his own trial,
conviction, final deportment, execution, and
posthumous confession.

"He had scarcely finished, when a carriage
dashed up to the door. Next minute, a young
lady, flying into the room, threw herself into his
arms.

"'My dear, dear, odd uncle! What is all this?
What have you been doing?'

"'My still dearer, and at least equally eccentric
niece, taking pleasure, in a manner suggested by
yourself.'

"'By me?'

"'When it pleased you to jump out of the
train, before it had stopped, at Caterham, and
to rush off in search of your model (dropped, no
doubt, out of the carriage in the tunnel, when
you struggled to prevent my leaning out to secure
that door)—when, I say, you left me thus, alone
with your women's fidfads, an odd idea occurred
to me. Had any accident happened to you, you
wild thing, I might be accused of your murder!
It was, really, rather to my amusement than
surprise, that, on reaching London, I found such a
suspicion absolutely on foot. But, never did I
imagine that that exquisite work of art—that
foot, almost as perfect, save for its want of actual
flesh and blood—as that which supplied the
model——'

"'Nonsense, uncle.'

"'Would rise up in witness against me!'
"'But what is this about eating?"

"'My love, what's the day of the month?'
"'The third of April.'

"'Then the day before yesterday was the First of April.'

["And, my dear sir," added my travelling
companion, "seeing that we have reached the
smack station, that this is the anniversary of the
smack day to which I have alluded—that is to
say, the smack FIRST DAY OF APRIL—and that,
being past the meridian, the hour of foolery has
expired, I beg to thank smack you for your kind
attention, and to wish you a very smack good
morning."]

MR. CHARLES DICKENS
Will read on THURSDAY EVENING, March 28th, at ST.
JAMES'S HALL, Piccadilly, his
CHRISTMAS CAROL AND THE TRIAL
FROM PICKWICK.
The Reading will commence at Eight, and conclude about
Ten o'clock.

On WEDNESDAY, 27th March, was published,
price 5s. 6d., bound in cloth,
THE FOURTH VOLUME
OF
ALL THE YEAR ROUND.
Containing from Nos. 77 to 100, both inclusive, and
the Extra Double Number for Christmas.
The preceding Volumes are always to be had.