He anxiously signed, therefore, to the young smith,
to take her away. But he was so busy, talking to
her softly at a little distance, that he only became
conscious of this desire, simultaneously with Alder-
man Cute. Now, the Alderman had not yet had his
say, but he was a philosopher, too -- practical, though!
Oh, very practical -- and, as he had no idea of losing
any portion of his audience, he cried 'Stop!'

  'Now, you know,' said the Alderman, addressing
his two friends, with a self-complacent smile upon
his face which was habitual to him, 'I am a plain
man, and a practical man; and I go to work in a
plain practical way. That's my way. There is not
the least mystery or difficulty in dealing with this
sort of people if you only understand 'em, and can
talk to 'em in their own manner. Now, you Porter!
Don't you ever tell me, or anybody else, my friend,
that vou haven't always enough to eat, and of the
best: because I know better. I have tasted your
tripe, you know, and you can't "chaff" me. You 
understand what "chaff" means, eh? That's the
right word, isn't it? Ha, ha, ha! Lord bless you,'
said the Alderman, turning to his friends again, 'it's
the easiest thing on earth to deal with this sort of
people, if you understand 'em.'

  Famous man for the common people, Alderman
Cute! Never out of temper with them! Easy, af-
fable, joking, knowing gentleman!

  'You see, my friend,' pursued the Alderman,
'there's a great deal of nonsense talked about Want
-- "hard up", you know; that's the phrase, isn't it?
ha! ha! ha! and I intend to Put It Down. There's
a certain amount of cant in vogue about Starvation,
and I mean to Put It Down. That's all! Lord
bless you', said the Alderman, turning to his friends
again, you may Put Down anything among this sort
of people, if you only know the way to set about it.'

  Trotty took Meg's hand and drew it through his
arm. He didn't seem to know what he was doing
though.

  'Your daughter, eh?' said the Alderman, chucking
her familiarly under the chin.

  Always affable with the working classes, Alderman
Cute! Knew what pleased them! Not a bit of
pride.

  'Where's her mother?' asked the worthy gentle-
man.

  'Dead,' said Toby. 'Her mother got up linen; and
was called to Heaven when She was born.'

  'Not to get up linen there, I suppose,' remarked
the Alderman pleasantly.

  Toby might or might not have been able to sep-
arate his wife in Heaven from her old pursuits. But
query: If Mrs. Alderman Cute had gone to Heaven,
would Mr. Alderman Cute have pictured her as hold-
ing any state or station there?

  'And you're making love to her, are you?' said
Cute to the young smith.

  'Yes,' returned Richard quickly, for he was nettled
by the question. 'And we are going to be married
on New Year's Day.'

  'What do you mean!' cried Filer sharply. 'Mar-
ried!'

  'Why, yes, we're thinking of it, Master,' said
Richard. 'We're rather in a hurry, you see, in case
it should be Put Down first.'

  'Ah!' cried Filer, with a groan. 'Put that down
indeed, Alderman, and you'll do something. Mar-
ried! Married!! The ignorance of the first prin-
ciples of political economy on the part of these people;
their improvidence; their wickedness; is, by Heavens
enough to -- Now look at that couple, will you!'

  Well? They were worth looking at. And mar-
riage seemed as reasonable and fair a deed as they
need have in contemplation.

  'A man may live to be as old as Methuselah,' sald
Mr. Filer, 'and may labour all his life for the benefit
of such people as those; and may heap up facts on
figures, facts on figures, facts on figures, mountains
high and dry; and he can no more hope to persuade
'em that they have no right or business to be mar-
ried, than he can hope to persuade 'em that they