The Canterbury employer was an amiable, religious-spirited man and he

would probably not have dismissed Mr. Polly if that unfortunate

tendency to phrase things had not shocked him. "A Tide's a Tide, Sir,"

said Mr. Polly, feeling that things were not so bad. "I've no

lune-attic power to alter that."

It proved impossible to explain to the Canterbury employer that this

was not a highly disrespectful and blasphemous remark.

"And besides, what good are you to me this morning, do you think?"

said the Canterbury employer, "with your arms pulled out of their

sockets?"

So Mr. Polly resumed his observations in the Wood Street warehouses

once more, and had some dismal times. The shoal of fish waiting for

the crumbs of employment seemed larger than ever.

He took counsel with himself. Should he "chuck" the outfitting? It

wasn't any good for him now, and presently when he was older and his

youthful smartness had passed into the dulness of middle age it would

be worse. What else could he do?

He could think of nothing. He went one night to a music hall and

developed a vague idea of a comic performance; the comic men seemed

violent rowdies and not at all funny; but when he thought of the great

The History of Mr Polly