you say to that, master?«
    This appeal, accompanied by a blow on the table, while the landlord winked
at the company, was addressed to Christian, who answered, with severe gravity -
    »I say there isn't any work more honourable than bill-sticking.«
    »No, no,« said Tommy, wagging his head from side to side. »I thought you'd
come in to that. I thought you'd know better than say contrairy. But I'll shake
hands wi' you; I don't want to knock any man's head off. I'm a good chap - a
sound crock - an old family kep' out o' my rights. I shall go to heaven, for all
Old Nick.«
    As these celestial prospects might imply that a little extra gin was
beginning to tell on the bill-sticker, Christian wanted to lose no time in
arresting his attention. He laid his hand on Tommy's arm and spoke emphatically.
    »But I'll tell you what you bill-stickers are not up to. You should be on
the look-out when Debarry's side have stuck up fresh bills, and go and paste
yours over them. I know where there's a lot of Debarry's bills now. Come along
with me, and I'll show you. We'll paste them over, and then we'll come back and
treat the company.«
    »Hooray!« said Tommy. »Let's be off then.«
    He was one of the thoroughly inured, originally hale drunkards, and did not
easily lose his head or legs or the ordinary amount of method in his talk.
Strangers often supposed that Tommy was tipsy when he had only taken what he
called one blessed pint, chiefly from that glorious contentment with himself and
his adverse fortunes which is not usually characteristic of the sober Briton. He
knocked the ashes out of his pipe, seized his paste-vessel and his basket, and
prepared to start, with a satisfactory promise that he could know what he was
about.
    The landlord and some others had confidently concluded that they understood
all about Christian now. He was a Transome's man, come to see after the
bill-sticking in Transome's interest. The landlord, telling his yellow wife
snappishly to open the door for the gentleman, hoped soon to see him again.
    »This is a Transome's house, sir,« he observed, »in respect of entertaining
customers of that colour. I do