matter of some moment,' he added, 'for it contains specimens.'
'I was not here this morning, sir,' responded the porter, somewhat reluctantly, 'but I'll ask Bill. Do you recollect, Bill, to have got a barrel from Bournemouth this morning containing specimens?'
'I don't know about specimens,' replied Bill; 'but the party as received the barrel I mean raised a sight of trouble.'
'What's that?' cried Morris, in the agitation of the moment pressing a penny into the man's hand.
'You see, sir, the barrel arrived at one-thirty; no one claimed it till about three, when a small, sickly—looking gentleman (probably a curate) came up, and sez he, 'Have you got anything for Pitman,' or "Wili'm Bent Pitman," if I recollect right. "I don't exactly know," sez I, "but I rather fancy that there barrel bears that name." The little man went up to the barrel, and seemed regularly all took aback when he saw the address, and then he pitched into us for not having brought what he wanted. "I don't care a damn what you want," sez I to him, "but if you are Will'm Bent Pitman, there's your barrel."'
'Well, and did he take it?' cried the breathless Morris.
