"LOW LIFE." 23

opportunity of remarking Prince's tenacity of purpose and
literal discharge of a commission, which he was convinced
would render the dog a good watch; while Mr. Jerry was
satisfied, from Prince present appearance, that he could be
put off with as shabby quarters and meagre fare as will suffice
to keep a dog in life. In fact, Mr. Jerry Noakes' principle,
which he found to work well for his ends, was-don't pamper
"your dependants on any consideration, if you wish them to be
of use to you-on the contrary, grind them down to the last
extremity, and all that is in them will be stimulated to do
battle with the world on their and your account.
 Mr. Jerry Noakes owned a small coal-yard-very small and
very little frequented, though its possessor was a man of some
substance-but he drew his means from other sources. Still
he was not inclined that these slatey-looking, dusty, crumb-
ling piles of coals which were his property should disappear
'under the predatory attacks of the loafers in a low neighbour-
hood. Therefore he procured Prince at a cheap rate, inducted
him into a couch-which, as it had been knocked together by
Mr. Jerry Noakes' own hands from some rickety deals, was
as poor an affair and as wretched a shelter from the weather
as could well be imagined-and put him in charge of the yard.
 It might be promotion, but it was also a great reverse
 for Prince. True, he had now a regular meal once a-day, a
 moderate mess of bran and food for poultry, with the parings
 of cats' meat, administered by Mr. Jerry, in place of Prince's
 being called upon to forage for himself, with the not un-
 common conclusion of finding himself both breakfastless and
 dinnerless, as had been the case lately in Jack's family circle.
 But not only was the gain not large, there was the sentiment