Trying To Change A Sovereign.

Master Oxford ' s equivalent for all this grandeur—that is to say , from his point of view—began to be conferred at once . Whenever he came , showing his grinning face * against the grating of his cell-door , privileged gazers , admitted by the favour of Mr . Inspector , or the sergeant on duty , or some of the bracelettecl rank and file bribed by a shilling , came ancl stared their fill at "the pot boy who had shot at our Queen . " Do you deride him , reader

, because he posed ? Why , you would do the same in such a position . Remember , you are liable to be drawn and hanged ancl quartered . Don ' t grudge some alleviation to the impending inconvenience in a temporary attitudinising as hero of the situation . Alleviating solace number one comes in the form of a surgeon . Witless grins more than ever . He knew that Government wanted , ancl would probably

have , his head ; but he had no idea that he had attained to such an extremel y dignified position that anybody could require his hair ; but the doctor snips off some , ancl we are told afterwards—a long while afterwards—that " several members of Parliament actually applied to Mr . M'Cann , the surgeon , for a small portion of the lock of hair which he cut off Oxford ' s head ; but they were disappointed of obtaining any , Mr . M'Cann having previously given it to

several distinguished patients of his ! "t But what an insignificant visitor is a general practitioner compared to the Keeper of her Majesty ' s privy purse , ancl a peer a privy councillor— -Witless is holding a reception , ancl his usher , the constable , throws open the cell-door and announces Sir Henry Wheatley and the Right Honorable the Earl of Hxbridge . I daresay Witless , knew enough of current history to be aware

that his noble visitor was the son ancl heir of that renowned marquis who had left one of his sup 23 orters beneath a cenotaph in far away Waterloo village , though I do not know if he had ever heard the epigram that wittily points out that the last shot fired in the great battle was directed b y Providence to correct the extravagance of Nature , " for one leg was enou g h for him who never meant to run , " if I quote correctly .

Witless comes forward politely . "Is the Queen hurt ? " he enquires anxiously . Says the Earl , not unreasonably , " How dare you ask such a question ? " Then Witless poses . He had been shooting a great deal lately . He was a very good shot with a pistol—a better with a rifle . Poor fool , was he so very ignorant as to be insensible that his every enquiry , his every bragging remark , was probably hammering down a nail in his Newgate shell ? The peerof coursegathers from the tone that this poor creature is one of the

, , wretched , weak , ignorant agents that revolutionary committees have in all ages been in the habit of using , ancl , afterwards , disavowing ancl deserting . He frowns , ancl observes— "You have now fulfilled your engagement . " The prisoner ' replies , ah ! poor fatuous fool ! " No , I have not . " His questioner indignantly responds—"' Your have , sir , so far as the attempt goes . '" "To that he was silent . " $

As the night wanes visitors wax fewer . The State Prisoner coils himself up on the bench in his cell ancl snatches an hour or two of broken sleep . With his hunch of bread ancl butter ancl conical pint cup of coffee from the shop round the corner , brought by kind-hearted constabulary in the morning , comes the delicious news that he—he—Edward Oxford—the hitherto undistinguished barman—is—can it be possible?—to be examined at the Home Office , before a special sitting of her Majest y ' s Privy Council . None of your