catching, for many of the people afflicted by it were much secluded,
and were waited upon by a special class of diseased persons queerly
dressed up, so that they might be known. They wore amongst other
garments, breeches made of worsted velvet, that stuff which used to
be called plush some years ago."

All this seemed very interesting to me, and I should like to have
made the old man talk more. But Dick got rather restive under so
much ancient history: besides, I suspect he wanted to keep me as
fresh as he could for his great-grandfather. So he burst out
laughing at last, and said: "Excuse me, neighbours, but I can't help
it. Fancy people not liking to work!--it's too ridiculous. Why,
even you like to work, old fellow--sometimes," said he,
affectionately patting the old horse with the whip. "What a queer
disease! it may well be called Mulleygrubs!"

And he laughed out again most boisterously; rather too much so, I
thought, for his usual good manners; and I laughed with him for
company's sake, but from the teeth outward only; for _I_ saw nothing
funny in people not liking to work, as you may well imagine.



CHAPTER VII: TRAFALGAR SQUARE



And now again I was busy looking about me, for we were quite clear of
Piccadilly Market, and were in a region of elegantly-built much
ornamented houses, which I should have called villas if they had been