"Hush! old Rough and Tough: the picture hasn't anything to do with
Peter Wilkins," said Zack. "Keep quiet, and wait here a minute for me.
There are some friends of mine at the other end of the room that I must
go and speak to. And, I say, if Blyth comes up to you and asks you
about the picture, say it's Columbus, and remarkably like him."
Left by himself, Mat looked about for better standing-room than he then
happened to occupy; and seeing a vacant space left between the
door-post and Mr. Blyth's bureau, retreated to it. Putting his hands in
his pockets, he leaned comfortably against the wall, and began to
examine the room and everything in it at his leisure. It was not long,
however, before he was disturbed. One of his neighbors, seeing that his
back was against a large paper sketch nailed on the wall behind him,
told him bluntly that he was doing mischief there, and made him change
his position. He moved accordingly to the door-post; but even here he
was not left in repose. A fresh relay of visitors arrived, and obliged
him to make way for them to pass into the room--which he did by
politely rolling himself round the door-post into the passage.
As he disappeared in this way, Mr. Blyth bustled up to the place where
Mat had been standing, and received his guests there, with great
cordiality, but also with some appearance of flurry and perplexity of
mind.
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