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ON HIS WAY THROUGH THE WORLD 483
for his paragraphs. When his paper was completed at the week's
end, he surveyed it fondly—not the leading articles, or those profound
and yet brilliant literary essays which appeared in the Gazette
—but the births, deaths, marriages, markets, trials, and what not.
As a shop-boy having decorated his master's window, goes into the
street, and pleased surveys his work ; so the fair face of the Pall
Mall Gazette rejoiced Mr. Firmin, and Mr. Bince, the printer of
the paper. They looked with an honest pride upon the result of
their joint labours. Nor did Firmin relish pleasantry on the subject.
Did his friends allude to it, and ask if he had shot any especially
fine canard that week ? Mr. Philip's brow would corrugate and his
cheeks redden. He did not like jokes to be made at his expense:
was not his a singular antipathy ?
In his capacity of sub-editor, the good fellow had the privilege
of taking and giving away countless theatre orders, and panorama
and diorama tickets : the Pall Mall Gazette was not above accepting
such little bribes in those days, and Mrs. Mugford's familiarity
with the names of opera singers, and splendid appearance in an
opera-box, were quite remarkable. Friend Philip would bear away
a heap of these cards of admission, delighted to carry off our young
folks to one exhibition or another. But once at the Diorama, where
our young people sat in the darkness, very much frightened as usual,
a voice from out the midnight gloom cried out : " Who has come
in with orders from the Pall Mall Gazette ?" A lady, two scared
children, and Mr. Sub-editor Philip, all trembled at this dreadful
summons. I think I should not dare to print the story even now,
did I not know that Mr. Firmin was travelling abroad. It was a
blessing the place was dark, so that none could see the poor subeditor's
blushes. Rather than cause any mortification to this lady,
I am sure Philip would have submitted to rack and torture. But,
indeed, her annoyance was very slight, except in seeing her friend
annoyed. The humour of the scene surpassed the annoyance in the
lady's mind, and caused her to laugh at the mishap ; but I own our
little boy (who is of an aristocratic turn, and rather too sensitive to
ridicule from his schoolfellows) was not at all anxious to talk upon
the subject, or to let the world know that he went to a place of
public amusement " with an order."
As for Philip's landlady, the Little Sister, she, you know, had
been familiar with the press, and pressmen, and orders for the play
for years past. She looked quite young and pretty with her kind
smiling face and neat tight black dress, as she came to the theatre
—it was to an Easter piece—on Philip's arm, one evening. Our
children saw her from their cab, as they, too, were driving to the
same performance. It was, " Look, mamma ! There's Philip and