our hero's particular delight. The weaker party in his eyes had always the good cause, and Peregrine was ever ready to lend a helping hand, without very much reflection as to consequences. On the present occasion, however, it did not require much penetration to decide as to which was the injured party, for it may uniformly be taken for granted, when an unprotected foreigner of any class is at variance with a number of English blackguards, that the English blackguards have, in some most unwarrantable way or other, been insulting and persecuting the unprotected foreigner. This may be set down as an axiom, and Peregrine Pultuney knew quite enough of the world to have it set down as such already.

"Now-my friends," began Peregrine, as he made his way through the mob, "let me see what all this is about-Englishmen, are ye?—yes, it seems 80-then I'm sure you haven't been insulting a stranger-a foreigner-in your own streets."

Peregrine was quite sure that they had, but he was a little of a diplomatist, and he knew how to propitiate a mob. This appeal to British feeling, not as it exists, but as it has the credit of existing -and no two things can be more different—was of the greatest service to our friend, for it is a singular fact that an English crowd are always considerably gratified by being complimented on the possession of those very qualities, the entire absence of which

they are palpably manifesting at the very moment they are thus complimented. If they have not national feeling they have national vanity-and that is the thing to appeal to.

Peregrine knew this; he knew moreover, that he could not, by mere force, accomplish the object he had in view, albeit he was quite ready to resort to such an expedient; so he continued. "Well, gentlemen" (there is nothing in the whole world which an English snob likes so much as being called a gentleman), "well, gentlemen, let me pass-you haven't I am sure been annoying that strangercome, my good fellow, what's the matter-tell me all about it yourself."

The gentleman of the dark face and the white turban, thus addressed, responded with much emphasis and gesture, his dark eyes flashing with indignation all the while, "Ah sahib-see you gentleman-gentleman not come here-parriahsmehters-very bad-master, I come from Indiasahib-logue say fine place-good people-pundits -very kind, never harm do to baca man-I come here-walk up gully-see plenty fruit-pice give

-woman say very good fruit-bad men come by -pigs!-make push-they say nigger-make fruit fall-burra meila-then laugh-very bad men!-I turn round, make mar-thirty, forty men come bobberee-poor man-what do?"

"That's it is it?" observed Peregrine. "And

now, my friends, let me ask, which of you it was that knocked the apples out of this poor man's

hand."

As he said this, Peregrine Pultuney looked round for an answer, at the same time turning up the wristbands of his Petersham, as gentlemen do when they have it in contemplation to punch somebody's head. "Now, which of you was it, my friends?" repeated Peregrine, but no answer came from the crowd. Two or three boys in the outskirts of the mob put up their fingers to their noses, as much as to say, "I wish you may get it." A butcher with a shining face, bare arms, and a blue apron, looked at Peregrine, and seemed to be doubtful as to the propriety of stepping forward as the champion of the mob. An empty cab pulled up at the corner of the street, and the cab-man touched his hat at Peregrine, with a wink of the eye, which said plainly enough, "I am ready to whisk your honour off in a moment, if you get the worst of it;" but nobody confessed to having knocked the apples out of the black man's hand-nobody seemed much inclined to have his head punched by a young gentleman like Peregrine Pultuney, who would have done the job for any body who desired it with the utmost satisfaction in the world.

"Well then, my friends," resumed our hero, "as nobody present committed the uncourteous. act this stranger complains of, I conclude that the offender has escaped, so I wish you a very good

morning;" and taking off his hat, he bowed to the mob with an air of dignified politeness-an effort upon his part which caused the mob to hurrah, and made several of the mobocracy remark, "Surely he be a rum 'un."

Peregrine Pultuney desired the dark man in the eastern costume to follow him along the street—a desire with which his copper-coloured friend complied, without manifesting the least disinclination. But they had not advanced many steps before our hero suddenly made a halt, and wondered what on earth had become of his companion with the weak nerves, from whom he had parted company in the midst of the crowd.

Peregrine looked up the street, and he looked down the street, but saw nothing of his nervous friend; he walked a little way towards Coventgarden, but saw nothing of him there; he walked back again, and still saw nothing of him. At last, when he had just determined not to prosecute the search any further, he saw Mr. Doleton with a pale face, emerging from a chemist's shop.

Peregrine made no other observation than, "Oh! there you are." But the nervous youth looked ashamed of himself, felt that he ought to say something, did not know exactly what to say, and finally stammered out that he had gone in to "purchase a tooth-brush."

Peregrine Pultuney sighed, but made no comment upon the cowardly behaviour of his compa

nion. He merely said, "I am going back to Grindaway's with this man."

"I'll go with you," said the nervous youth, who never felt very comfortable in the streets of London alone.

A walk of less than three minutes brought Peregrine Pultuney and his two strange associates to Grindaway's. Peregrine sent Doleton into the reading-room, whilst he took the Mussulman into a private apartment, set aside by the benevolent governors of the agency establishment, for conferences of this nature.

"Now, my man," said Peregrine Pultuney in a kind voice," tell me what brought you to England; and whether I can do any thing for you; but, first of all, what is your name?"

"My name, master?-Peer Khan.”

66

Very well," remarked Peregrine, "and now tell me what part of India you come from."

"Yes, master-I Bengallee-come here-Thomson sahib nuokur.”

"You came from Bengal with Mr. Thompson," observed Peregrine." Now, tell me about it."

"Yes, master-I tell all," returned the disciple of Mahomet "I Bengallee-wife got-plenty baba got-I serve Leeftenant Thompson-very good gentleman Leeftenant Thompson-not beat nuokurlogue-very kind-I say, I love my master-never leave my master 'till die-He get ill-very near die-I sit all night-give master tea-sherbet