A House to Let

he rented the House, and there was therefore no need of any clue to his name. But, he himself was less easy to be found; for, he had led a wandering life, a

tattooed, was found smoking a pipe at the door of a wooden house on wheels. The wooden house was laid up in ordinary for the winter, near the mouth of a muddy creek; and everything near it, the foggy river, the misty marshes, an

s. Then his name was Magsman? That was it, Toby Magsman — which lawfully christened Robert; but called in the line,

ured. But, some inquiries were making about that

ould he? He left i

of a

eliberately and emphati

n’s inclination and convenience to ent

ed into the follo

with. Mr. Magsman was looking about for a good pitch, and he see that house, and he sa

the canvass, representin the picter of the Wild Indian a scalpin a member of some foreign nation. Then, there was the canvass, representin the picter of a child of a British Planter, seized by two Boa Constrictors — not that WE never had no child, nor no Constrictors neither. Similarly, there was the canvass, representin the picter of the Wild Ass of the Prairies — not that WE never had no wild asses, nor wouldn’t have had ’em at a gift. Last, there was the canvass, representin the picter of the Dwarf, and like him too (conside

ADE. Nobody couldn’t pronounce the name, and it never was intended anybody should. The public always turned it, as a regular rule, into Chopski. In th

is? He was a most uncommon small man, with a most uncommon large Ed; and what he had inside that Ed, nobody ever knowed b

to be put upon him artificial, he nursed that Baby like a mother. You never heerd him give a ill-name to a Giant. He DID allow himself to break out into strong language respectin th

was always in love with a large woman; I never knowed the Dwarf as could b

by putting his hand to a paper. This is the more curious to bear in mind, because HE had no property, nor hope of property, except his house and a sarser. When I say his house, I mean the box, painted and got up outside like a reg’lar six-roomer, that he used to creep into, with a diamond ring (or quite as good to look at) on his forefinger, and ring a little bell out of what the Public believed to be the Drawing-room winder. And when I s

hrough him a little time, he would screech out, “Toby, I feel my property coming — grind away! I’m counting my guineas by thousands, Toby — grind away! Toby, I shall be a man of fortun! I feel the Mint a ji

his occupation was, that it kep him out of Society. He was continiwally saying, “Toby, my ambition is, to go into Society. The curse of my position towards the Public is, that

him in so many halfpence that he’d carry ’em for a week together, tied up in a pocket-handkercher. And yet he never had money. And it couldn’t be the Fat Lady from Norfolk, as was once supposed; because it stands to reason that when you have a animosity towards a India

on, and cries out, “If there’s any person here as has got a ticket, the Lottery’s just drawed, and the number as has come up for the great prize is three, seven, forty-two! Three, seven, forty-two!” I was givin the man to the Furies myself, for calling off the Public’s attention — for the Public will turn away, at any time, to look at anything in preference to the thing showed ’em; and if you doubt it, get ’em together for any indiwidual purpose on the face of the earth, and send only two people in late,

ad come up. The first use he made of his property, was, to offer to fight the Wild Indian for five hundred pound a side, him wit

and behaved liberal and beautiful to all. He then sent for a young man he knowed, as had a wery genteel appearance and was a Bonnet at a gaming-booth (most respectable brought up, father havin been imminent in the

in into Society. Wi

ops, to hintimate that the ‘ole of the expe

s. “And you shall have a

to shake hands with him, and replied in po

is on t

ark is o

not ask

o:— along

grays with silk jackets. They took lodgings

one evening appinted. The gentlemen was at their wine arter dinner, and Mr. Chops’s eyes was more fixed in that Ed of his than I thought good for him. There was three of ’em (in company, I mea

— which I’ll take my oath he wasn’t. Mr. Chops, to git him convenient to the table, had his chair on a throne (much of the form of George the Fourth’s in the canvass), but he hardly appear

to get up and say, “Mr. Chops, the best of friends must part, I thank you for the wariety of foreign drains you have stood so ‘ansome, I looks towards you in red wine, and I takes my leave.” Mr. Chops replied, “If you’ll just hitch me out of this over your right arm, Magsman, and carry me down-stairs, I’

hall, he kep me close to him by holdin

‘appy,

your mind,

n the mantel-piece when I won’t have in more Champagne-wine, and

of ’em, M

ciety together, and w

of Society

lking about. When you have once gone in

ops,” were my remark, shaking my head grav

t you don’t understand. Good-night, go along. Magsman, the little man will now walk three times round the Cairawan, and retire behind the curtain.” The last I see of him on that occasion was his t

e, that it is sure to be printed that it WILL be recollected, whenever it won’t —“that Mr. Chops is the individual of small stature, whose brilliant success in the l

ey in his hand, a presentin it to George the Fourth, and a lady in Ostrich

utside. One night, when we had played the last company out, which was a shy company, through its raining Heavens hard, I was takin a pipe in the one pair back along with the young man with the toes, which I had taken on for a month (though he never drawed

the door. I looked out into the street; but nothin could I see, and nothin was I aware of, until I

on the old terms, and you’ve g

maze, but I sai

done!” says he. “Have you got

shamed to offer him cold sassages and gin-and-water; but he took ’em both and took ’em free; havin a c

the best of my calculations two pound and a quarter), that the wisdom

You see afore you, One as has bot

t, Mr. Chops? How di

like of the wisdom as his Ed expresse

ve thousand five hundred pound; it may do you good in life — The secret of this matter is,

I shook my head, put on a deep look, an

leg, “Society has gone into me, to th

h nat’rally a bold speaker, I coul

the plate,”

ning him as formerly w

the jewels,” s

at him, and he stood

they was all a doing my old business — all a goin three times round the Cairawan, in the hold court-suits and properties. Elsewheres, they was most

at he was soured by his misfort

n, THEIRS is mercenary outrages. Lay in Cashmeer shawls, buy bracelets, strew ’em and a lot of ‘andsome fans and things about your rooms, let it be known that you give away like water to all as come to admire, and the Fat Ladies that don’t exhibit for so much down upon the drum, will come from all the pints of the compass to flock about y

gerial disturbance in him must have been so immense, that I thought he was gone. But, he soon come round wi

n the moustachio which it was a credit to him to have done his best to grow, but it is not in mortals to command success,—“the difference this. When I was out of Society, I was paid light

and no allusions was ever made, when a company was in, to his property. He got wiser every day; his views of So

on of that period, when his Ed was a sight, he expressed one evenin, the last

world might do it, but not me); “Mr. Chops, are you sure as

next met with on the tramp, I for

I will be my belief to my dying day, that I see his Ed expand as he sat; you may there

ittle man will now walk three times round t

ops as comfortable a funeral as lay in my power, followed myself as Chief, and had the George the Fourth canvass carri

ript, and looking hard at Trottle. “I don’t triumph over thi

tfully amusing story, but you have also answered the question about the House. Of course it stands empty now. Who would think of taking it after

peak,” said Jarber. “You wer

edly, “if you could kindly oblige me with a da

rber. “What does the

person named Magsman was the last tenant who lived in the House. It’s my op

tle made a low bow, an

was quite as plain that the two stories he had just read, had really and truly exhausted his present stock. I thought myself bound, in common gratitude, to help him out of his embarrassment by a timely suggesti

For the rest of the week I would not encourage Trottle by allowing him to refer to the House a

assed, that he was really quite a spectacle of feebleness and fatigue. I saw, at a glance, that the question of dates had gone

I have begun another series of discoveries! Accept the last two as stories laid on your shrine;

w about the House was, that a female relative of the last tenant, as they believed, had, just after that tenant left, sent a little manuscript poem to them which she described as referring to events that had actually passed in the House; and which she wanted the proprietor of the Library to publis

inacy. To my surprise Peggy answered the bell, and told me, that Trottle had stepped out without saying where. I instantly felt the str

smissed Peggy, stifled my indignation, and prepa