when a sudden thought struck me, to which
nevertheless I scarcely liked to give utterance.
I felt exceedingly desirous to know
exactly how garotting was effected, yet how
was I to put such a question to so inoffensive
and gentlemanlike a scoundrel? At last I
mustered resolution enough. Did he happen
to have heard from any acquaintance who,
through misfortune or otherwise, had failed
in the intellectual branches of his profession,
how the garotte was effected. I trembled
for his answer, and half repented of having
said anything so rude as soon as the question
had left my lips. He, however, did but blush
slightly and becomingly, smiled with the
confidence of a master in some art who is
ignorantly interrogated as to his knowledge of
its first principles, pulled up his false collar
with his real hands, and thus delivered
himself:

"Why, singularly enough, sir, the garotte
is my particular line."

My satisfaction at this avowal was, as may
be imagined, complete. It was like the
question about Hugoumont mooted among the
omnibus passengers, being referred to the
strange gentleman in the corner with the
Roman nose, who turned out to be the Duke
of Wellington.

How eloquent did my fraudulent friend
become about this his favourite topic! What
spirit he threw into his descriptions! What
hair-breadth escapes from the police and
other intrusive persons interrupting him in
the pursuit of his vocation, he had at various
times experienced! Left alone with his
man he had rarely indeed been unsuccessful,
Once, however, with a gymnastic gentleman
—a harlequin, in plain clothes, returning home
from the theatre—who had thrown a
summersault clean over his head; and once with a
stout party from a city dinner, who had no
neck—positively none—to afford the operator
a chance, and who bit my poor friend's arm
in such a manner that it was useless for
weeks afterwards.

"And you did these feats of yourself and
without any assistance?" I inquired, with
some incredulity.

"Quite alone, sir," replied he, "but, in
all cases, the garottees were several inches
shorter than myself; with a man of your
size, for instance," and he laughed good-
humouredly, "it would be almost an
impossibility."

I laughed very heartily at this notion, too.
Would he be so good as to show me, just to
give me an example how the thing was
done?

"I throw my arm from the back of your
neck, like this," said he, suiting the action to
the word, but with the very greatest delicacy
of touch. "You are sure I am not
inconveniencing you?"

"Not at all," said I. "Go on."
"I then close the fore arm tightlv. Stoop
a little lower, please; thank you, and
compress the windpipe with . . . ."

Where was I? Why was I lying on the
floor of the carriage instead of sitting on the
corner seat? Why was my neckcloth
unfastened, and where were the bank-notes
which it had contained? These questions,
in company with many others, presented
themselves to my mind as the train glided
into Carlisle station. Above all, where
was my agreeable companion? I knew
by the unerring Bradshaw that the train,
stopped nowhere between Preston and——
Yes, but it did though, just for one minute,
at the junction of the Windermere line,
to drop passengers, although not to take
them up.

"Guard, guard!"

"Yes, sir; Carlisle, sir. A quarter of an
hour allowed for refreshments."

"Don't talk to me of refreshments," I cried
hoarsely. "Did a man from this carriage
get out at Oxenholme?"

"Yes, sir; very gentlemanly young man.
with fishing-rod and a landing-net. A lake
tourist. Asked whether there was a trout
stream in that neighbourhood."

I have not quite settled yet, in my own
mind, whether the thing was planned from the
very first, and the lost hat itself—which was
not claimed—a portion of the diabolical plot;
or whether the intentions of my companion
had been really honourable until I was fool
enough to put a temptation in his way, which
he could not resist. It was like placing the
Bloomer suit of armour in the chamber of
Joan of Arc, and expecting that she would,
keep to Crinoline and the small bonnet in
preference to that martial costume to which
she has been so long accustomed, and in
which she looked so becoming. Previous to
the outrage the man's conduct had been
certainly quite irreproachable. He reasoned
too, perhaps, that since he had so fully "put
me up to the time of day," I should have no
further occasion for my gold repeater. At
all events, my travelling acquaintance had
taken that away with him.

             MR, CHARLES DICKENS'S
                        READINGS.

MR. CHARLES DICKENS will read at LIMERICK on the 1st
and 2nd of September; at HUDDERSFIELD on the 8th; at
WAKEFIELD on the 9th; at YORK on the 10th; at HARROWGATE
on the 11th; at SCARBOROUGH on the 13th; at HULL
on the 14th; at LEEDS on the 15th; at HALIFAX on the
16th; at SHEFFIELD on the 17th; at MANCHESTER on the
18th; at DARLINGTON on the 21st; at DURHAM on the
22nd; at SUNDERLAND on the 23rd; at NEWCASTLE on the
24th and 25th; at EDINBURGH on the 27th, 28th, 29th,
and 30th of September.