unfavourable occasion, I set him down among the most brilliant

He was relating with great gusto, and seemingly no feeling of

shame, the manoeuvres of a scoundrelly commission merchant whom he

had known and studied in his youth, and we were all listening with

an odd mixture of mirth and embarrassment when our little party was

brought abruptly to an end in the most startling manner.

A noise like that of a wet finger on the window-pane interrupted

Mr. Huddlestone's tale; and in an instant we were all four as white