“No, no,” replied Mr. John Smauker, pulling forth the fox’s head, and taking a gentlemanly pinch. “There are some funny dogs among us, and they will have their joke, you know; but you mustn’t mind ’em, you mustn’t mind ’em.”

“I’ll try and bear up agin such a reg’lar knock down o’ talent,” replied Sam.

“That’s right,” said Mr. John Smauker, putting forth his fox’s head, and elevating his own; “I’ll stand by you.”

By this time they had reached a small greengrocer’s shop, which Mr. John Smauker entered, followed by Sam, who, the moment he got behind him, relapsed into a series of the very broadest and most unmitigated grins, and manifested other demonstrations of being in a highly enviable state of inward merriment.