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OR,

LIFE'S CHANCES AND CHANGES.

BY THE HON. HENRY COKE,

AUTHOR OF

tr A RIDE OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS."

IN THREE VOLUMES.

VOL. II.

LONDON:

HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS,
SUCCESSORS TO HENRY COLBURN,

13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET.

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LONDON:

Printed by Schulze and Co., 13, Poland Street.

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HIGH AND LOW.

CHAPTER I.

WHEN Pierce More awoke, the sun was shining brightly into the room. The boots, who had entered without seeing him, was opening the windows to let out the smell of stale smoke. The empty grate looked uncomfortable; the two tumblers, with a little sticky brown syrup at the bottom, looked uncomfortable; a pair of thin debauched teaspoons, weighing about as much as a sixpence between them, item, one pair of cigar ends, also looked uncomfortable. The boots, who had

VOL. II.

B

not yet washed his face, looked uncomfortable; and as he stirred about the furniture, clouds of light dust danced merrily in the broad rays of the sunlight, making the whole room look uncomfortable.

"Holloa, you! What are you opening the windows for ?" shouted Pierce, shivering with cold and buttoning his coat over his chest. The dirty boots jumped.

Beg pardon, Sir-didn't see as you was there, Sir. Like the windows shut down, Sir ?"

"Where's my bed-room?"

"Yis, Sir."

"And I want to be called at ten."

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“And I shall want a chaise directly I have

had my breakfast."

"Yis, Sir. Pair 'osses, Sir?”

"Yes, a pair of horses to go to Mona."

Yis, Sir. Take tea or coffee, Sir?"

"Coffee."

"Good night, Sir."

"Good night. Halloa! I say, boots!"

Yis, Sir."

"What o'clock is the gentleman going to breakfast, who dined with me last night ?" "Bin gone this two hours-went away at half-past five-first train, Sir. Good night, Sir."

When Pierce was left to sleep, he found he had slept enough. As he lay in bed, he examined the pattern of the paper, till he had transformed every flower, and querly-queue, into a goblin face, or figure. By the time. he had made himself unpleasantly nervous with this amusement, his attention began to wander to the busy flies; who chased each other round and round, always buzzing hysterically whenever they met. This gave him endless range for speculation; his brain grew bewildered in contemplation of eccentric vortices, and Cartesian systems; till he became excited with thoughts

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