For instance:  two young men are strolling, towards 5 P.M., in the then fashionable neighbourhood of Soho; the one is Terry, the actor—­the other, Hook, the actor, for surely he deserves the title.  They pass a house, and sniff the viands cooking underground.  Hook quietly announces his intention of dining there.  He enters, is admitted and announced by the servant, mingles with the company, and is quite at home before he is perceived by the host.  At last the denouement came; the dinner-giver approached the stranger, and with great politeness asked his name.  ‘Smith’ was, of course, the reply, and reverting to mistakes made by servants in announcing, &c., ‘Smith’ hurried off into an amusing story, to put his host in good humour.  The conversation that followed is taken from ’Ingoldsby’:—­

‘But, really, my dear sir,’ the host put in, ’I think the mistake on the present occasion does not originate in the source you allude to; I certainly did not anticipate the honour of Mr. Smith’s company to-day.’

’No, I dare say not.  You said four in your note, I know, and it is now, I see, a quarter past five; but the fact is, I have been detained in the City, as I was going to explain—­’

‘Pray,’ said the host, ‘whom do you suppose you are addressing?’

’Whom? why Mr. Thompson, of course, old friend of my father.  I have not the pleasure, indeed, of being personally known to you, but having received your kind invitation yesterday,’ &c. &c.

‘No, sir, my name is not Thompson, but Jones,’ in highly indignant accents.

‘Jones!’ was the well-acted answer:  ’why, surely, I cannot have—­yes I must—­good heaven!  I see it all.  My dear sir, what an unfortunate blunder; wrong house—­what must you think of such an intrusion?  I am really at a loss for words in which to apologize; you will permit me to retire at present, and to-morrow—­’

‘Pray, don’t think of retiring,’ rejoined the host, taken with the appearance and manner of the young man.  ’Your friend’s table must have been cleared long ago, if, as you say, four was the hour named, and I am too happy to be able to offer you a seat at mine.’

It may be easily conceived that the invitation had not to be very often repeated, and Hook kept the risible muscles of the company upon the constant stretch, and paid for the entertainment in the only coin with which he was well supplied.

There was more wit, however, in his visit to a retired watchmaker, who had got from government a premium of L10,000 for the best chronometer.  Hook was very partial to journeys in search of adventure; a gig, a lively companion, and sixpence for the first turnpike being generally all that was requisite; ingenuity supplied the rest.  It was on one of these excursions, that Hook and his friend found themselves in the neighbourhood of Uxbridge, with a horse and a gig, and not a sixpence to be found in any pocket.  Now a horse and gig