 to which the youngest gentleman in company was reduced, did not say much
for her power of sympathising with that unfortunate character. She treated it
with great levity, and went on to inform herself, then and afterwards, whether
any other changes had occurred in the commercial boarding-house.
    Mr. Bailey was gone, and had been succeeded (such is the decay of human
greatness!) by an old woman whose name was reported to be Tamaroo - which seemed
an impossibility. Indeed it appeared in the fulness of time that the jocular
boarders had appropriated the word from an English ballad, in which it is
supposed to express the bold and fiery nature of a certain hackney-coachman; and
that it was bestowed upon Mr. Bailey's successor by reason of her having nothing
fiery about her, except an occasional attack of that fire which is called St.
Anthony's. This ancient female had been engaged, in fulfilment of a vow,
registered by Mrs. Todgers, that no more boys should darken the commercial
doors; and she was chiefly remarkable for a total absence of all comprehension
upon every subject whatever. She was a perfect Tomb for messages and small
parcels; and when despatched to the Post-office with letters, had been
frequently seen endeavouring to insinuate them into casual chinks in private
doors, under the delusion that any door with a hole in it would answer the
purpose. She was a very little old woman, and always wore a very coarse apron
with a bib before and a loop behind, together with bandages on her wrists, which
appeared to be afflicted with an everlasting sprain. She was on all occasions
chary of opening the street-door, and ardent to shut it again; and she waited at
table in a bonnet.
    This was the only great change over and above the change which had fallen on
the youngest gentleman. As for him, he more than corroborated the account of
Mrs. Todgers: possessing greater sensibility than even she had given him credit
for. He entertained some terrible notions of Destiny, among other matters, and
talked much about people's »Missions:« upon which he seemed to have some private
information not generally attainable, as he knew it had been poor Merry's
mission to crush him in the bud. He was very frail, and tearful; for being aware
that a shepherd's mission was to pipe to his flocks, and that a boatswain's
mission was to pipe all hands, and that one man's mission was to be a paid
piper, and another man's mission was to pay the
