specks of gas from the lamps in the street;
could hear Barney, his little clerk and shopboy,
softly whistling as he kept watch and
ward upon the watches in the front window
and the habiliments exposed for sale outside;
could hear the sounds of a fiddle from the
Admiral Nelson next door, where the men-
of-warsmen were dancing; could, by a certain,
pleasant, subtle smell from regions yet
farther back, divine that Mrs. Virlaz (her
father was a Bar-Galli, and worth hills of
gold) was cooking something nice for supper.

From the pleasures of his pipe Acon-Virlaz
turned to the pleasures of his jewellery. It lay
there on the slate-covered counter, rich and
rare. Big diamonds, rubies, opals, emeralds,
sapphires, amethysts, topazes, turquoises, and
pearls. By the jewels lay gold. Gold in
massy chains, in mourning rings, in massy
bracelets, in chased snuff-boxes—in gold snuff
too—that is in dingy, dull dust from the
Guinea coast; in flakes and mis-shapen
lumps from the mine; in toy-watches, in
brave chronometers, in lockets, vinaigrettes,
brooches, and such woman's gear. The voice
of the watches was dumb; the little flasks
were scentless; but, how much beauty, life,
strength, power, lay in these coloured baubles!
Acon-Virlaz sighed.

Here, a little clock in the front shop, which
nestled ordinarily in the midst of a wilderness
of boots, and thought apparently a great
deal more of itself than its size warranted,
after a prodigious deal of running down,
gasping, and clucking, struck nine. Acon-
Virlaz laid down his pipe, and turning the
gas a little higher, was about calling out to
Mrs. Virlaz, that daughter of Bar-Galli (she
was very stout, and fried fish in sky-blue
satin), to know what she had got for supper,
when a dark body became mistily apparent
in the recesses of the grove of Guernsey
shirts and sou'-westers, shutting out the view
of the distant specks of gas in the street
beyond. At the same time, a voice, that
seemed to run upon a tramway, so smooth
and sliding was it, said, three or four times
over, " How is to-night with you, Mr.Virlaz,
—how is it with you this beautiful night?
Aha!"

The voice and the body belonged to a
gentleman of Mr. Virlaz's persuasion, who
was stout and large, and very elastic in
limb, and very voluble in delivery, in the
which there was, I may remark, a tendency
to reiteration, and an oily softness (inducing
an idea that the tramway I mentioned had
been sedulously greased), and a perceptible
lisp. Mr. Virlaz's friend rubbed his hands
(likewise smooth and well-greased) continually.
He was somewhat loosely jointed,
which caused him to wag his head from side
to side as he talked, after the fashion
of an image; and his face would have been
a great deal handsomer if his complexion
had not been quite so white and pasty,
and his eyes not quite so pink, and both
together not quite so like a suet pudding
with two raisins in it. Mr. Virlaz's friend's
name was Mr. Ben-Daoud, and he came from
Westhampton, where he discounted bills and
sold clocks.

"Take a seat, Ben," said the jeweller, when
he had recognised his friend and shaken
hands with him; " Mrs. V. will be down
directly. All well at home? Take a
pipe?"

"I will just sit down a little minute, and
thank you, Mr.Virlaz," Ben-Daoud answered
volubly; " and all are well but little Zeeky,
who has thrushes, and has swoollen, the dear
child, much since yesterday; but beg Mrs.
Virlaz not to disturb herself for me, —for I
am not long here, and will not take a pipe,
having a cold, and being about to go a long
journey to-morrow. Aha!"

All this, Mr. Ben-Daoud said with the extreme
volubility which I have noticed, and
in the exact order in which his words are set
down, but without any vocal punctuation.
There was considerable doubt among the
people as to Mr. Ben-Daoud's nationality.
Some said that he came from Poland;
others, that he hailed from Frankfort-on-
the-Maine; some inclined to the belief that
Amsterdam, in Holland, was his natal
place; some, that Gibraltar had given him
birth, or the still more distant land of Tangier.
At all events, of whatsoever nation he
was, or if not of any, he was for all Jewry,
and knew the time of the day remarkably
well. He had been in the rabbit-skin line of
business before he took to selling clocks, to
which he added, when regiments were in
garrison, at Westhampton, the art of discounting.

"Going on a journey, eh, Ben? " asked
Acon-Virlaz. " Business ? "

"Oh, business of course, Mr. Virlaz," his
friend replied. " Always business. I have
some little moneys to look up, and some little
purchases to make, and, indeed, humbly wish
to turn a little penny; for, I have very many
heavy calls to meet next month, —a little bill
or two of mine you hold, by the way, among
the rest, Mr. Virlaz."

"True," the jeweller said, rather nervously,
and putting his hand on a great leathern
portfolio in his breast pocket, in which he
kept his acceptances; " and shall you be long
gone, Mr. Daoud?"

This " Mr. Daoud," following upon the
former familiar " Ben," was said without
sternness, but spoke the creditor awakened
to his rights. It seemed to say, " Smoke,
drink, and be merry till your ' accepted payable
at such a date' comes due; but pay
then, or I'll sell you up like death."

Mr. Ben-Daoud seemed to have an inkling
of this; for, he wagged his head, rubbed his
hands, and answered, more volubly than ever,
"Oh, as to that, Mr. Virlaz, dear sir, my
journey is but of two days lasting. I shall
be back the day after to-morrow, and with