"The Novice!"

Never, never in my life, have my eyes rested
upon a more hideous repulsive countenance
than that of the truculent young ruffian thus
presented. His low projecting brow, flat
features, and squinting eyes, conveyed a mingled
assurance of low craft and savage ferocity. He
had knock-knees, and these trembled and bent
under his tipsy weight, as the creature made
a stupid effort to approach us. He had
manifestly taken too much medicine of the wrong
sort for his internal malady. I recoiled in
terror and ineffable disgust.

"Brooser! Brooser! Brooser!" shouted the
mob.

"You promised us to spar, you did!" roared
a furious voice above the din.

"I did nothing of the kind!" bellowed Mr.
Brooser yet more distinctly. " I cum here on
a priwate wisit."

"With your Novice."

"With my Novice—o' course. I never quits
him." (To the Novice.) " Stand up, you
obstinate young beggar, or I'm blest if I don't
knock you out o' time. As I was saying, I
never quits him—leastways, seldom; and I wish
I hadn't to-night, though that's rude to say, for
I've been 'ansomely entertained by this 'ere
kind lady, and do you think I don't like that a
sight better than boosing with a lot o' roughs
like you, that come here trespassing on priwate
property? I did mean to make a purfessional
toor, but I changed my mind, 'cause o' the
Novice being noways fit. Wot's the matter?"

"We want to see you!" roared the
half-mollified crowd.

"Well, you do see me," replied Mr. Brooser,
with mild indulgence, drawing up his colossal
form to its full height. " You sees me well, I
hope. 'Tain't my fault, nor natur's, if you can't.
Hook it! Or, if you've anything more to say,
don't stand there outragging the lady, but send
a depitation."

There was a consultation in the crowd, and
presently a rough fellow was pushed forward
as spokesman.

"We don't want fur to offend you, Mr.
Brooser," said the ambassador; "neither my
ladyship. We knows your walue, both on you"
(I curtseyed for self and colleague!), " but here's
the pint. Will you set-to for a minute with
your Novice?"

"Will you? Will you?" shrieked a
despairing voice from the crowd.

The champion smiled compassionately, and
did not immediately reply.

"Now look," he said at last—"look at what
you're a asking. Is that" (he pointed to the
limp and cowering Novice) "a chap that Bigge
Brooser, champion of the English catch-weights,
can knock down in comfort? S'posin' he wasn't
drunk, look at his conduct, look at his character,
look at his attitude in serciety. Here's a feller,
with seven to four upon him, six weeks in
training, final deposit paid o' Wednesday,
fogles ordered, seconds chose! Yet this highly
favioured indiwiddiwal, in the beautifullest
condition (though some says puffy), can so far
forget his duty, first, to his backers; secondly, to
the Thames and Mersey Navigation Company,
what purwides the boat; thirdly, to his
conscience, as to drink himself into a condition in
which six stun seven could make minced-meat
of him! Pah! I blush for my purfession; I
gives it up; I withdraw into priwate life; and I
goes back to Fiddle-court, Portugal-lane,
Haymarket, an altered man!'

Emotion choked the champion's utterance,
but an immense cheer from the mob replied to
this address.

Then the Novice raised his drooping head, and
spoke:

"I s—say, gov'nor!"

"Hold your tongue, sir," said Mr. Brooser.

At this moment a man stepped from the
crowd, and placed his hand on the speaker's
shoulder.

"I want you, young fellow," he said. " I
beg your pardon, ma'am" (touching his hat to
me). " It don't anyways affect you, Mr. Brooser.
You always fit fair, when you did fight. But I
was looking for this young gentleman before he
went into training. It's for that poaching
matter down at Squire Maundrell's. The
keeper's very bad."

Mr. Brooser growled that he 'sposed it was
all right, but why wasn't he took afore?

The policeman remarked that nobody called
him anything but " Brooser's Novice," whereby
he only got knowledge of him to-day, when
the young man was too drunk to forget his
name.

I have only to add that the Novice has
changed his trainers, Brooser being superseded
by the warders of the county jail, with every
prospect of commencing an entirely new
novitiate at Bermuda; that Mr. Brooser, though
much shocked and subdued, remained to smoke
a cigar with his patron John, and returned to
town a liltle comforted; and that neither
Persons nor Parties are likely again to invade
the quiet precincts of Myrtle Grange—our
address.

Now ready, price 5s. 6d., bound in cloth,
THE SEVENTH VOLUME
OF
ALL THE YEAR ROUND.
Containing from Numbers 151 to 176.
The Six preceding Volumes are always to be had.
They include the following Novels:—
A TALE OF TWO CITIES, AND GREAT EXPECTATIONS.
By CHARLES DICKENS.
THE WOMAN IN WHITE. By WILKIE COLLINS.
A DAY'S RIDE, A LIFE'S ROMANCE. By CHARLES
LEVER.
A STRANGE STORY. By SIR EDWARD BULWER LYTTON.

The Right of Translating Articles from ALL THE YEAR ROUND is reserved by the Authors.