Office; which appeared, as far as he could see, to be getting on uncommonly well without him. There was the same old over-fed office-keeper at the door, there were the same two Caucasians waiting on the steps, and there were all the twelve Examiners looking out of the twelve windows as of yore. There was the Lord President's carriage at the door, and there, no doubt was the Lord President in the Secretary's room, learning a practical reply to the eminently practical question which would be asked in the House that night, "Whether there was any truth in the statement that it was the practice of the Board for the Dissemination of Pauper-Philosophy to educate and train young paupers to an extraordinary pitch of pauper perfection, at an enormous public expense, with the express view of qualifying such paupers to impart instructions in the rudiments of Pauper-Philosophy, and that accomplished, to take away from their sphere of duty such Pauper-Philosophers as may seem to the Board to be peculiarly well qualified to train and educate other young paupers, and reward them with Assistant-Clerkships in the Office for the Dissemination of Pauper-Philosophy?"
As young John speculated on this possibility, it occurred to him that he would turn into the office, and look up some of his old friends. He passed the Caucasians and the office-keeper unrecognized, and made his way up to the garret in which he had worked for the five years that preceded his dismissal.
It was just as he had left it, for promotion in the Pauper-Philosophy Office was a work of many years. As he entered the room he was greeted with a stare of sur-
