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the house, and, having followed him for a time, touched his hat respectfully, and asked him how he was.

"Quite well," replied Sylvester, who had forgotten him; "quite."

"Come, sir, to see the pleasures of the poverty-stricken?" observed Obadiah, who was not a man to be easily shaken off.

"The people do not appear to be poverty-stricken," returned Sylvester. "All whom I have seen look contented and happy."

"Ah!" exclaimed Obadiah; "thoughtlessness! It's nothing but that, sir; and ignorance. If they knew their power, they wouldn't be as they are."

"Would the knowledge of their power, then, render them more happy?"

"I allude to their position, sir: that's what I allude to: I mean that they wouldn't be in such a position. They would take higher ground, sir."

"What ground do you imagine they would take?"

"What ground, sir! Why, they'd stand up for their rights!"

"Have they not their rights?"

"How can the poor have their rights, sir? How is it possible?"

"I conceive it to be quite possible for the poor to have their rights as well as the rich."

"But if men had their rights, sir, they could not be poor."

"Indeed! Why—why could they not?"

"Because the rich would have to divide their riches with them."

"Oh! Aye! That's it! I see!" cried Sylvester, who began to be rather amused. "Then all who have their rights must be equally rich?"

"Of course, sir! It's one of the laws of nature."

"Well, now, do you know, I wasn't aware of that?"

"Indeed! Well, that's strange, too. But don't you see now that it must be?"

"Well, but suppose that a division were to take place to-day, and that you were to spend your share to-night, how would you stand to-morrow?"

"Why, of course, if I'd spent it, I couldn't have it."

"Then, you couldn't have your rights."

"Aye! but that's altogether a different thing. We weren't speaking of spending our shares."

"We were speaking of wealth being equally divided—a state of things which couldn't last an hour—and, as you advanced as a proposition, that men could not be poor who had their rights, I put a case which, I apprehend, proved that men might have their rights, and yet be poor."

"Yes, sir, but—"

"Do you admit that?"

"But were there two Adams?"

"Nay, keep to the point."

"I'm coming to it—fructifying right direct to the point."

"Fructifying!" thought Sylvester, who thought that he had heard that word ill-used before.

"The question is," continued Obadiah, "were there or were there not two Adams?"