lead to something clever on his part to play a trick and make some one or other look foolish was held the most pointed form of wit throughout the back regions of the and served as a constant substitute for theatrical entertainment what the farce wanted in costume or make up it gained in the reality of the mortification which excited the general laughter and lo here was the offensive the cool and superior christian caught comparatively helpless with his head hanging on his shoulder and one coat tail hanging out heavily below the elbow of the rustic eat it was this coat tail which served as a suggestion to mr scales s genius putting his finger up in warning to mrs cherry and saying hush � be quiet � i see a fine bit of fun � he took a knife from his pocket stepped behind the unconscious christian and quickly cut off the coat tail scales knew nothing of the errand to the and as he noticed that there was something in the pocket thought it was probably a large cigar case so much the better � he had no time to pause he threw the coat tail as far as he could and noticed that it fell among the elms under which they the radical had been walking then to mrs cherry he hurried away with her to the more open part of the park not daring to in laughter until it was safe from the chance of waking the and then the vision of the graceful well appointed mr christian who sneered at scales about his get up having to walk back to the house with only one tail to his coat was a source of so much enjoyment to the butler that the fair cherry began to be quite jealous of the jo e still she admitted that it really was funny and pledged herself to secrecy mr scales explained to her that christian would try to creep in unobserved but that this must be made impossible and he requested her to imagine th� figure this fellow would cut when every body was asking what had happened christian where s your coat tail would become a proverb at the where jokes kept remarkably well without the aid of salt and mr christian s comb would be cut so that it would take a long time to grow again exit scales laughing and presenting a fine example of dramatic irony to any one in the secret of fate when christian awoke he was shocked to find himself in the twilight he started up shook himself missed something and soon became aware what it was he missed h did not doubt that he had been robbed and he at once foresaw that the consequences would be highly unpleasant in no way could the cause of the accident be so represented to mr philip as to prevent him from his hitherto in a new and light and though mr christian did not regard his present position as brilliant he did not see his way to any thing better a man nearly fifty who is not always quite well is seldom hopeful he is aware that this is a world in which merit is often overlooked with the idea of robbery in full possession of his mind to peer about and search in the even if it had occurred to him would have seemed a preposterous waste of time and energy he knew it was likely that mr s pocket book had important and valuable contents and that he should his by his announcement of the unfortunate fact he hastened back to the house relieved by the obscurity from that mortification of his vanity on w hich the butler had counted indeed to scales himself the affair had already begun to appear less thoroughly than he had anticipated for he observed that christian s non appearance before dinner had caused mr some consternation and he gathered that the had been sent on a commission to the my uncle must have detained him for some reason or other he heard mr philip say but is odd if he were less about or had ever seemed to drink too much l should be uneasy altogether the affair was not taking the turn mr scales had intended at last when dinner had been removed and the butler s chief duties were at an end it was understood that christian had entered without his coat tail looking serious and even agitated that he had asked leave at once to speak to mr and that he was even then in with the gentlemen in the scales was in alarm it must have been some property of mr s that had the pocket he took a lantern got a groom to accompany him with another lantern and with the utmost practicable speed reached the fatal spot in the park lie searched under the elms � he was certain that the pocket had fallen there � and he found the pocket but he found it empty and in spite of farther search did not find the contents though he had at first consoled himself with thinking that they had fallen out and would be lying not far off he returned with the and the coat tail and a most uncomfortable consciousness in that great seat of a butler s emotion the stomach he had no sooner re entered than he was met by mrs cherry pale and anxious who drew him say that if he didn t tell every thing she would that the were to be sent for that there had been no the end of bank notes and letters and things in mr s pocket book which christian was carrying in that very pocket scales had cut off that the was sent for the was coming and they should all be hanged mr scales s own intellect was any thing but clear as to 