apparently through a common throat, gurgled three hideous cheers. There
was a charge of Mrs. Lawk's friends to the windows, and then a stampede
to the back parlor. In vain I expostulated; idly I insisted on my utter
lack of interest in the questions of the day: the political party
_would_ come in, and how was I to prevent it? The absence of
embarrassment and amiable indifference to form that characterized the
intrusion was something unique. There was a difference in shape and mode
of wearing, about the hats, really refreshing, and a variety of quality
and nauseousness in the cigars everybody smoked, that, if anything,
added zest to the scene.

Boots unconscious of the existence of a door-mat speedily graced the
hall-floor with a perfect cushion of mud. Their wearers, rapidly
dividing into groups, plunged into earnest conversation concerning the
events of the day. The candid manner in which my own character was
discussed, and their frankness in touching on my peculiarities, was not
the least gratifying feature of the visit. In the course of two or three
minutes, one would have supposed my residence a political club-room, and
my uninvited guests in the peaceful enjoyment of their inalienable
rights.

At length there was a cry of "Here he is! here he is!"

Every window on the square went up, and the neighborhood suddenly
whitened with night-capped heads. I heard a crash of glass, and felt
convinced that this time the ventilator had gone for certain. There was
a fresh rush from the street, and, finally, seated on a shutter (borne
on the shoulders of four stout men) and complacently swinging his legs,
appeared the little cobbler. A radiant joy in his face, and a knowing
wink in his eye, told plainly the combined influence of triumph and