being devoid of symmetry, like a London Alderman after a Guildhall banquet. A sorry show it cuts by the side of its aristocratic companion, clothed with the finest green silk mounted on neat steel ribs, which fold in and allow it to derive a slim portable appearance by this arrangement. The handle is of ivory, and looks somewhat conspicuous, being out of proportion, like the overgrown head of a child affected by water on the brain. Never judge from appearances. I should prefer the worst-looking of the two, had I to choose between them.

It is still raining. Mr. Sniffers has ignited a fresh rouleau of vegetable composition: by force of example, Mr. Gilbertson has done the same. Though the former paces the hall, and gives intermittent peeps through the parlour door, (green spectacles look suspicious, and some degree of mistrust is begotten by the wig!) yet he is not frittering away his morning, nor endeavouring to kill time merely, till the rain is over.

"Our fat friend is a long while at breakfast," he remarks, coming to anchor at the door-post.

That queer-looking man?" says Gilbertson, half interrogatively, half carelessly.

"Queer! Do you think him so?"

Mr. G. is of this opinion: so the detective inquires what data have led him to draw such an inference.

"Why, he wears a brown wig," answers Mr. Gilbertson, somewhat unsatisfactorily.

"Why, not exactly," rejoined Gilbertson, as he rolls a cloud of incense from his mouth; "but this morning he entered in a grey one!"

A very sharp penetrating glance does Mr. Sniffers dart upon Mr. G., discharging in fact both his eyeballs at him: however, that gentleman is quite calm and collected in his manner; indeed, he appears somewhat used up, and completely out of sorts at the foulness of the weather.

From him he turns attention to "the two umbrellas," and reflects. While Mr. S. is cogitating, the fat man in the coffee-room has terminated his morning meal, and, glancing anxiously at the clock, he calls the waiter and demands his bill. That functionary appears and disappears, goes within the bar and performs compound addition with the landlady; then, armed with a long paper missive, he prepares to storm the pockets of the wig-wearer.

"Call a cab and put in my luggage, with the umbrella. Waiter! d'ye hear? Don't forget my umbrella!"

On the last head he is peculiarly emphatic.

This sound emanates from the parlour and disturbs Mr. Sniffers in his meditations: then the waiter beckons a vehicle over and places therein

a cargo of cloaks and carpet-bags; which done, he extracts the best umbrella from the stand and addresses Gilbertson, saying:

"This yours, sir?”

Answer:-" No, the other."

Sniffers buttons his coat, and appears bent upon migration. While he pays his bill in haste, the fat gentleman makes off to the railwaystation: so observing the cab retreating in the dim perspective, the officer calls another, and gives the driver injunctions to follow as fast as possible Let us now accompany him, and bid eternal adieu to the hotel.

As the horse, drawing the cab which carried Sniffers and his fortunes, was not capable of high-pressure movement, by the time he reached the station, spectacles had unfreighted himself and luggage, and was now taking his ticket for N, when Mr. Sniffers jumped from the cab, and catching the echo of the word he booked also for that town, and rushed into a carriage as the express was moving from the platform!

The train emerged from the smoke of Leeds as from beneath a tunnel, got into twilight in the suburbs, and full day when it reached the country; from whence might have been seen the soot-bag brooding over the city, like vapour on the summit of a cloud-capped mountain.

For none of these things cared Mr. Sniffers. The gentleman in the train-for whom he kept an unmitigated look out, at every platform, lest he might escape-the umbrella, and Gilbertson, were the motive powers of his most intense consideration.

When the "Fire King" drew up at N, the "robustious perriwigpated fellow" alighted, keeping tenacious grasp of the umbrella and a watchful eye upon his luggage. The same omnibus conveyed him and Mr. Sniffers to the hotel, where the former demanded a private room, in the which he bestowed himself and chattels. And now Mr. S. entered on the discharge of his functions. Taking the green silk umbrella from the stand where the gentleman had left it, he unceremoniously introduced himself into his apartment; where, the door being duly fastened, the following scene took place :—

"Is this your umbrella?" inquired the detective, pointedly.

The interrogated hesitated and seemed confused, at last he stuttered out: "Why-ah—really—I might say—”

"Come now," said Sniffers, positively, "I know well its yours, so do n't deny it."

So far from being taken aback by this statement the gentlemen seemed encouraged, and replied, with immense good-humour, laughing in effect, "Well, sir, I have no objection as you insist on it-why, I'll admit the point. But may I ask to whom I have the pleasure

Cutting him short the reply was Sniffers," in the true fashion of Laconia.

"Oh! The eminent officer, I presume."

"The same," he answered curtly, taking the rank and compliment quite as a matter of course.

"Then, sir, I am happy to make your acquaintance," said corpulency warmly, "perhaps you know my name?"

"I know who you are, and that's enough. Now tell me how many notes were circulated?"

"Rather! How many, I repeat? Disguise is useless."
“Well, two hundred, I believe."

"Pshaw! more than that."

"Likely so, I don't pretend to know. But, tell me, have you any clue as yet?"

"A trifle," replied Sniffers, with a grin. (You should see Sniffers grin. A rusty rat-trap, opening its dentated jaws, is a faint copy of the movement!)

"Arrested any yet?" inquired obesity, with great apparent curiosity. "Not yet-but agoing to."

"Haw! If you are unaccompanied I don't envy you the job. They are a desperate set of fellows I hear, and well armed. Forgers, they say, would stop at nothing." (This last sentence was delivered with extraordinary emphasis.)

"Pooh!” cried Sniffers, with contempt, "they are sensible fellows, they are, and know well that hanging aint so healthy as foreign travelling to the colonies, and much more fatal to the constitution. Now, suppose I met one of them now, I'd take out these," (he produced a neat pair of handcuffs) "and say to the party, whomsoever he'd be, how would these fit?" (here he takes the gentleman by the arms and wrists.) "Then I'd put them on so, and shut them just like that!" The sharp clicking of the bolt announced that they were duly locked. So far had Sniffers gone in his illustration, that his victim was actually sitting in his chair, shaking hands, involuntarily, with himself!

"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed he "'t would certainly be clever. But I would n't like them on long. They hurt a little!"

"Then come at once," said Sniffers, rising.

"Come! where?"

"Pooh!" ejaculated the detective, with great disgust, "that game is old, you're nabbed now: so let us slope."

FF

He spoke with such familiarity, his captive looked annoyed, and said, with all the dignity he was master of under the circumstances-it was not much!" I require you, sir, to remove these forthwith."

"I won't, and that's enough!" grunted the detective.

Mute astonishment gave way to sheer dismay. "What means this conduct," at length he gasped: "some gross misapprehension I conceive!” "Misapprehension! Oh, lor! what a refined age we live in; we used

to call that 'false arrest' in our day-dear, oh, dear!"

"Instantly remove these, or 't will be worse for you!" roared the fettered individual, as he chafed, and fumed, and stamped on the floor, livid with rage and passion!

"Now, harkee, friend!" cried the officer, sternly, "when I'm taken kind it's a little lamb I am, but when anyone puts upon me I become the very devil!" Mr. Sniffers delivered himself of this oration with some dramatic action.

"Mr. Sniffers! who do you take me for?" piteously enquired the wretched man.

"I take you for the Governor of the Joint-Stock Banking Company and all others whom it may concern," answered the officer, mistaking the question.

"Am I really to understand you arrest me?" roared the victim, sitting handcuffed in his chair, and appearing, by attitude, as if he was contemplating an aquatic movement-commonly called swimming.

"In the Queen's name," rejoined Mr. S., laying his hand affectionately on his head and shoulders, like a bishop bestowing his benediction, "6 and, now, could you guess how I scented you, eh?"

"No, I don't know anything; not even who or where I am-"

"By your umbrella!!!" shouted Sniffers, impressively, as he flourished it insanely around his head, in the manner an Indian brandishes his spear while performing a phrenetic war-dance!

Our culprit groaned, like a congregation of primitive methodists! "Now, see," continued the detective, with professional enthusiasm, as he rested his broad palm on the handle, and planted the point in a chink of the floor, describing concentric circles with the umbrella; "in the whole course of my career, never did I see a really prettier case." He reflected a second, and then issued a supplement to this statement, as follows:- -"of course there was Tooler's-but, then, I tracked him by a walking-stick, no, this is the prettiest, I should say."

:

By dint of gyrations, the umbrella becoming somewhat loose in the socket, the detective examined it minutely and discovered the thread of a screw beneath the handle. So, prompted by natural curiosity, he wrenched it, and pulling off its head there rolled upon the ground no less an article

than a thin brass barrel, which fitted accurately into the excavated handle.

As a cat springs on a mouse, so darted Sniffers on his prey: lifting it he opened the machine and extracted therefrom a roll of fresh crimplooking notes-all forgeries on the Joint-Stock Banking Company.

"Live and learn!" he exclaimed, as he investigated "the plant," with some surprise: this, however, was but transitory, for the novelty over, the official quickly recovered his serenity; while the man in manacles still remained entranced. The whole affair appeared to him "like a phantasma, or a hideous dream!" Fain would he have rubbed his eyes, to dissipate the impenetrable mist which enwrapped them-but, alas! his hands could only reach the southernmost promontory of his face, where, stretched out, they looked for all the world like a full view of the fore part of a steamer.

"Five, ten, fifteen, twenty," laughed Sniffers; wetting his fingers in bank fashion, and counting out the notes. "How much will you take for them in the pound, old boy?"

The culprit gasped like a broken-winded bellows! No longer belonged he to the race of "articulately-speaking men," for his mouth was so parched with fright he could not project a syllable from his faucis!

While gazing on this tableau, the drop-scene falls; and in the next act we behold our two acquaintances in the court-house: premising that Mr. Sniffers having professional business in N-, which would delay him till the morrow, determined forthwith to procure the committal of the captive.

The magistrates were sitting, and clearly and concisely the officer preferred his charge. After receiving the usual caution not to commit. himself, the chairman asked:

"What!" cried the magistrate, in amaze; "you wish to pass for one of the directors of the Joint-Stock Bank?

"So I am," said Pettigrew, mournfully.

The justice looked at Sniffers, in explanation. That gentleman shrugged his shoulders, and by his looks insinuated ludicrous contempt. "There was a laughing devil in his sneer," which infected the bench and court-house generally.

"I have not the pleasure of knowing Mr. Pettigrew, the director," said the magistrate, "but I think I can take upon me to say that he does