abilities, considerable education, and--and--and no end of
application. Come, Mr. Tudor, let us see what you can do.' And so
saying, Mr. Oldeschole, the Secretary, motioned him to sit down
at an office table opposite to himself.

Charley did as he was bid, and took from the hands of his future
master an old, much-worn quill pen, with which the great man had
been signing minutes.

'Now,' said the great man, 'just copy the few first sentences of
that leading article--either one will do,' and he pushed over to
him a huge newspaper.

To tell the truth, Charley did not know what a leading article
was, and so he sat abashed, staring at the paper.

'Why don't you write?' asked the Secretary.

'Where shall I begin, sir?' stammered poor Charley, looking
piteously into the examiner's face.

'God bless my soul! there; either of those leading articles,' and
leaning over the table, the Secretary pointed to a particular
spot.

Hereupon Charley began his task in a large, ugly, round hand,
neither that of a man nor of a boy, and set himself to copy the
contents of the paper. 'The name of Pacifico stinks in the
nostril of the British public. It is well known to all the world
how sincerely we admire the vers_i_tility of Lord Palmerston's