alert, and made such good use of his time, that in another moment

he was scouring away up by a by-street, after shedding his cloak,

hat, long hatband, white pocket-handkerchief, and other

symbolical tears.

These, the people tore to pieces and scattered far and wide with

great enjoyment, while the tradesmen hurriedly shut up their

shops; for a crowd in those times stopped at nothing, and was a

monster much dreaded. They had already got to the length of

opening the hearse to take the coffin out, when some brighter

genius proposed instead, its being escorted to its destination

amidst general rejoicing. Practical suggestions being much

needed, this suggestion, too, was received with acclamation, and

the coach was immediately filled with eight inside and a dozen

out, while as many people got on the roof of the hearse as could by

any exercise of ingenuity stick upon it. Among the first of these

volunteers was Jerry Cruncher himself, who modestly concealed

his spiky head from the observation of Tellson’s, in the further

corner of the mourning coach.

The officiating undertakers made some protest against these

changes in the ceremonies; but, the river being alarmingly near,

and several voices remarking on the efficacy of cold immersion in

bringing refractory members of the profession to reason, the

protest was faint and brief. Th