curled ladies and children carefully but shaved gentlemen easily still it was a highly genteel establishment � quite first rate in fact � and there were displayed in the window besides other of a light lady and a dark gentleman which were the admiration of the whole neighbourhood indeed some ladies had gone so far as to assert that the dark gentleman was actually a portrait of the spirited young proprietor and the great between their head dresses � both wore very glossy with a narrow walk straight down the middle and a profusion of flat circular curls on both sides � encouraged the idea the better informed among the sex however made light of this assertion for however willing they were and they were very willing to do full justice to the handsome face and figure of the proprietor they held the countenance of the dark gentleman in the window to be an exquisite and abstract idea of masculine beauty sometimes perhaps among angels and military men but very rarely embodied to the eyes of mortals it was to this establishment that led miss in safely the proprietor knowing that miss ken life and of sisters each with two tails and all good for sixpence a piece once a month at least promptly deserted an old gentleman whom he had just for and handing him over to the who was not popular among the ladies by reason of his and middle age waited on the yoimg lady himself just as tliis change had been effected there presented himself for a big good humoured er with a pipe in his mouth who drawing his hand across his chin requested to know when a would be disengaged the to whom this question was put looked doubtfully at the young proprietor and the young proprietor looked scornfully at the coal observing at the same time � you won t get shaved here my man not said the coal we don t gentlemen in your line remarked the young proprietor i see you a of a baker when i was a through the last week said the coal it s necessary to draw the line my fine replied the principal we draw the line there we can t go beyond k we was to get any lower than our customers would desert us and we might shut up shop you must try some other establishment sir we couldn t do it here the stared grinned at who appeared highly entertained looked slightly round the shop as if in of the pots and other articles of stock took his pipe out of his mouth and gave a very loud whistle and then put it in again and walked out the old gentleman who had just been and who was sitting in a melancholy manner with his face turned towards the wall appeared quite unconscious of this incident and to be insensible to everything around him in the depth of a reverie � a very mournful one to judge from the sighs he occasionally � in which he was absorbed affected by this example the proprietor began to miss the to scrape the old gentleman and to read last sunday s paper ae three in silence when miss uttered a httle scream and raising his eyes saw that it had been by the circumstance of the old turning his head and the features of mr the the features of mr they were but strangely altered if ever an old gentleman had made a point of appearing in public shaved close and clean that old gentleman was mr if ever a had borne himself like a and assumed before all men a solemn and dignity as if he had the world on his books and it was all two quarters in that was mr and now there he sat with the remains of a beard at least a week old his chin a soiled and crouching as it were upon his breast instead of standing boldly out a so abashed and drooping so and expressive of such humiliation grief and shame that if the souls of forty all of whom had had their water cut off for non payment of the rate could have been ted in one body that one body could hardly have expressed such mortification and defeat as were now expressed in the person of mr the uttered his name and mr groaned then to hide it but the groan was a groan and the cough was but a is the matter said matter sir cried mr the of life is dry sir and but the mud is left this speech � the style of which attributed to mr s recent association with theatrical characters � not being quite looked as if he were about to ask another question when mr prevented him by shaking his hand mournfully and then waving his own let me be shaved said mr it shall be done before � it is isn t it yes said have got a boy haven t they inquired the again said yes is it a nice boy demanded the it ain t a very nasty one returned rather embarrassed by the question used to say observed the that if ever she had another boy she hoped it might be like me is this one like me mr life and adventures op this was a inquiry but it by replying to mr that lie thought the baby might possibly come like him in time i be to have somebody like me somehow said mr before i die you don t mean to do that yet awhile said unto which mr replied in a solemn voice let me be shaved and again himself to the hands of the said no more i this was remarkable behaviour so remarkable did it seem to miss that that young lady at the imminent hazard of having her ear off had not been able to forbear looking 