not be doubted for a moment that he winked to himself, still he
certainly cocked his enormous eye towards the gallery where the
listener was concealed. Nor was this all, for he gaped; and when
he gaped, Joe was horribly reminded of the popular prejudice on the
subject of giants, and of their fabled power of smelling out
Englishmen, however closely concealed.

His alarm was such that he nearly swooned, and it was some little
time before his power of sight or hearing was restored. When he
recovered he found that the elder Giant was pressing the younger to
commence the Chronicles, and that the latter was endeavouring to
excuse himself on the ground that the night was far spent, and it
would be better to wait until the next. Well assured by this that
he was certainly about to begin directly, the listener collected
his faculties by a great effort, and distinctly heard Magog express
himself to the following effect:


In the sixteenth century and in the reign of Queen Elizabeth of
glorious memory (albeit her golden days are sadly rusted with
blood), there lived in the city of London a bold young 'prentice
who loved his master's daughter. There were no doubt within the
walls a great many 'prentices in this condition, but I speak of
only one, and his name was Hugh Graham.

This Hugh was apprenticed to an honest Bowyer who dwelt in the ward
of Cheype, and was rumoured to possess great wealth. Rumour was
quite as infallible in those days as at the present time, but it
happened then as now to be sometimes right by accident. It
stumbled upon the truth when it gave the old Bowyer a mint of