genius; how cordially we s_i_mpathize with his patriotic energies.
But the admiration which even a Palmerston inspires must have a
bound, and our s_i_mpathy may be called on too far. When we
find ourselves asked to pay--'. By this time Charley had half covered
the half-sheet of foolscap which had been put before him, and
here at the word 'pay' he unfortunately suffered a large blot of ink
to fall on the paper.

'That won't do, Mr. Tudor, that won't do--come, let us look,' and
stretching over again, the Secretary took up the copy.

'Oh dear! oh dear! this is very bad; versatility with an 'i!'-
sympathy with an 'i!' sympathize with an 'i!' Why, Mr. Tudor, you
must be very fond of 'i's' down in Shropshire.'

Charley looked sheepish, but of course said nothing.

'And I never saw a viler hand in my life. Oh dear, oh dear, I
must send you back to Sir Gilbert. Look here, Snape, this will
never do--never do for the Internal Navigation, will it?'

Snape, the attendant senior clerk, said, as indeed he could not
help saying, that the writing was very bad.

'I never saw worse in my life,' said the Secretary. 'And now, Mr.
Tudor, what do you know of arithmetic?'

Charley said that he thought he knew arithmetic pretty well;--'at
least some of it,' he modestly added.