"
"I trust Mr Handycock is well, ma'am. Pray is he a bull or a bear?"
"Lord bless you, Mr Simple, my lord, I should say, he's been neither
bull nor bear for this three years. He was obliged to _waddle_. If I
didn't know much about bulls and bears, I know very well what a _lame
duck_ is, to my cost. We're off the Stock Exchange, and Mr Handycock is
set up as a coal merchant."
"Indeed!"
"Yes; that is, we have no coals, but we take orders, and have
half-a-crown a chaldron for our trouble. As Mr Handycock says, it's a
very good business, if you only had enough of it. Perhaps your lordship
may be able to give us an order. It's nothing out of your pocket, and
something into ours."
"I shall be very happy, when I return again to town, Mrs Handycock. I
hope the parrot is quite well."
"Oh! my lord, that's a sore subject; only think of Mr Handycock, when we
retired from the 'Change, taking my parrot one day and selling it for
five guineas, saying, five guineas were better than a nasty squalling
bird. To be sure, there was nothing for dinner that day; but, as Jemima
agreed with me, we'd rather have gone without a dinner for a month, than
have parted with Poll. Since we've looked up a little in the world, I
saved up five guineas, by hook or by crook, and tried to get Poll back
again, but the lady said she wouldn't take fifty guineas for him."
Mrs Handycock then jumped from her chair, saying, "Good morning, my
lord; I'll leave one of Mr Handycock's cards.
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