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ties of Titmouse-the stately eccentricities of the Dreddlingtons! With what eager and breathless interest was be listened to! No man could make himself more unexceptionably agreeable than Gammon; and the ladies really took pleasure in his society; Kate about as far from any notion of the real state of his feelings as of what was at that moment going on at the antipodes. Her reserve towards him sensibly lessened; why, indeed, should she feel it, towards one of whom Dr Tatham spoke so highly, and who appeared to warrant it? Moreover, Mr Gammon took special care to speak in the most unreserved and unqualified manner of the mean and mercenary character of Mr Quirk-of the miserable style of business in which he, Mr Gammon, was compelled, for only a short time longer, he trusted, to participate, and which was really revolting to his own feelings; in short, he did his best to cause himself to appear a sensitive and high-minded man, whose unhappy fate it had been to be yoked with those who were the reverse. Mr Aubrey regarded him from time to time with silent anxiety and interest, as one who had it in his power, at any instant he might choose, to cause the suspended sword to fall upon him; at whose will and pleasure he continued in the enjoyment of his present domestic happiness, instead of being incarcerated in prison; but who had hitherto evinced a disposition of signal forbearance, sincere good-nature, and disinterestedness. They often used to speak of him, and compare the impression which his person and conduct had produced in their minds; and in two points they agreed-that he exhibited anxiety to render himself agreeable; and that there was a certain something about his eye which none of them liked. It seemed as though he had in a manner two natures; and that one of them was watching the efforts made by the other to beguile!

While, however, the Fates thus frowned upon the aspiring attempts of Gammon towards Miss Aubrey, they smiled benignantly enough upon Titmouse, and his suit with the Lady Cecilia. The first shock over-which

no lively sensibilities or strong feelings of her ladyship tended to protract, she began insensibly to get familiar with the person, manners, and character of her future lord, and reconciled to her fate. "When people understand that they must live together," said a very great man," they learn to soften, by mutual accommodation, that yoke which they know that they cannot shake off; they become good husbands and wives, from the necessity of remaining husbands and wives, for necessity is a powerful master in teaching the duties which it imposes." The serene intelligence of Lady Cecilia having satisfied her that "it was her fate" to be married to Titmouse, she resigned herself to it tranquilly, calling in to her assistance divers cooperative reasons for the step she had agreed to take. She could thereby accomplish at all events one darling object of her papa's-the re-union of the long and unhappily-severed family interests. Then Yatton was certainly a delightful estate to be mistress of a charming residence, and one which she might in all probability calculate on having pretty nearly to herself. His rent-roll was large and unencumbered, and would admit of a handsome jointure. On her accession to her own independent rank, the odious name of Titmouse would disappear in the noble one of Lady Drelincourt, peeress in her own right, and representative of the oldest barony in the kingdom. Her husband would then become a mere cipher-no one would ever hear of him, or enquire after him, or think or care about him-a mere mote in the sunbeam of her own splendour. above all, thank Heaven! there were many ways in which a separation might be brought about-never mind how soon after marriage—a step which was becoming one quite of course, and implied nothing derogatory to the character, or lessening to the personal consequence of the lady-who indeed was almost, as of course, recognized as an object of sympathy, rather than of suspicion or scorn. erful forces, all impelling her in one direction-and irresistibly. How could it be otherwise with a mere creature of circumstance like her? Notwith

But,

These were pow

* The late venerable and gifted Lord Stowell, in the case of Evans v. Evans, 1 Consistory Reports, p. 36.

leaving Titmouse in the care of an old woman whose cottage was not far off, and where Titmouse, having had a good deal of the filth detached from him, remounted his horse and turned its head homewards-heartily disposed, had he but dared, cruelly to spur, and kick, and flog it; and in this picklestupid, and sullen, and crestfallen-he was overtaken and recognised by Lord Dreddlington and Lady Cecilia, returning from the field!

This was her future husband

Then again-poor lady Cecilia !— what thought you of the following, which was one of the letters he addressed to you?-Well might Miss Aubrey exclaim, "how I should like to see their correspondence!"—

standing all this, however, there were occasions when Titmouse was presented to her in a somewhat startling and sickening aspect. It sometimes almost choked her to see him-ridiculous object!-in the company of gentlemento witness their treatment of him, and then reflect that he was about to become her-lord and master. One day, for instance, she accompanied the Earl in the carriage to witness the hounds throw off, not far from Yatton, and where a very brilliant field was expected. There were, in fact, about two hundred of the leading gentlemen of the county assembled-and, dear reader, fancy the figure Titmouse must have presented among them,his quizzing-glass screwed into his eye, and clad in his little pink and leathers! What a seat was his! How many significant and scornful smiles, and winks, and shrugs of the shoulders did his appearance occasion among his bold and high bred companions! And only about four or five minutes after they had gone away-this unhappy little devil was thoroughly found out by the noble animal he rode; and who equally well knew his own business, and what he had on. In trying to take a dwarf wall, on the opposite side of an old green horse-pond by the road-side, he urged his horse with that weak and indecisive impulse which only disgusted him; so he suddenly drew back at the margin of the pond,over head and heels flew Titmouse, and descended plump on his head into the deep mud, where he remained for a moment or two, up to his shoulders, his little legs kicking about in the air

"Who's that?" cried one-and another and another-without stopping, any more than the Life Guards would have stopped for a sudden individual casualty in the midst of their tremendous charge at Waterloo,till the very last of them, who happened to be no less a person than Lord de la Zouch, seeing, as he came up, the desperate position of the fallen rider, reined up, dismounted, and with much effort and inconvenience aided in extricating Titmouse from his fearful, yet ludicrous position,-and thus preserved to society one of its brightest ornaments. As soon as he was safea dismal spectacle to gods and men,his preserver, not disposed, by discovering who Titmouse was, to supererogatory courtesy, mounted his horse,

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on Acct. of Customers Out of Town, "Dearest love You Are the Girl of "My Heart As I am Of Your's and

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am particular Lonely Alone Here " and wish to be There where she Is "how I Long to Fold My dearest girl "in My Arms hope You Don't For"get Me As soon As I am Absent do "You often Think of me wh. I do indeed "of you. and looking Forward to The "Happy Days When We are United "in the Happy bonds of Hymmen, "never To part Again dearest I Was "Driving yesterday In my New Cabb "In the park, where whom Sha. I "Meet but That Miss Aubrey Wh "they say (Between you And Me and "The post) is Truly in a Gallopping "Consumption on Acct. Of my Not "Having Her A likely thing in"deed That I Ever car'd for Such an "individule whh. Never Did Only of you, Dearest What shall I Send

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you As A Gift Shall it Be In The "cloathing Line, For there Is a "Wonderful Fine and Choice As"sortmt. of Cashmere Shawls and "Most Remarkable Handsome Cloaks, "All Newly arriv'd fr. Paris, Never "Think Of The price wh. Between "Lovers Goes For Nothing. However "Large the Figure Only Say what You "Shall have and Down It shall Come "And Now dearest Girl Adieu. "Those Can't meet Again who Never Part.'

"dearest Your's to command till "death. T. TITMOUSE." "P.T.O.-Love and Duty To My "Lord (of Course) whom shall Feel "only Too happy to Call My Father"In-Law, the Sooner The better."

When poor Lady Cecilia received this letter, and had read over only half a dozen lines of it, she flung it on the floor, and threw herself down on the sofa, in her dressing-room, and remained silent and motionless for more than an hour; and when she heard Miss Macspleuchan knock at her door for admittance, Lady Cecilia started up, took the letter from the floor, and put it into her dressing-box, before admitting her humble companion.

A succession of such letters as the above might have had the effect upon Lady Cecilia's "attachment" to Titmouse, which the repeated affusion of cold water would have upon the thermometer; but the Fates favoured Mr Titmouse, by investing him with a character, and placing him in a position calculated to give him personal dignity, and thereby redeem and elevate him in the estimation of his fastidious mistress-I mean that of candidate for a seat in Parliament, for the representation of a borough in which he had a commanding influence.

After a national commotion commensurate with the magnitude of the boon that was sought for, the great

BILL FOR GIVING EVERY BODY EVERY

THING had passed into a law, and the people were frantic with joy. Its first fruits were of a sort that satisfied the public expectation; viz. three or four earls were turned into marquises, and two or three marquises into dukes, and deservedly; for these great men had far higher titles to the gratitude and admiration of the country, in exacting this second Magna Charta from King -, than the stern old barons in extorting the first from King Johnnamely, they parted with vast substantial political power, for only a nominal quid pro quo, in the shape of a bit of riband or a strawberry leaf. Its next immediate effect was to cleanse the Augean stable of the House of Commons, by opening upon it the floodgates of popular will and popular opinion; and having utterly expelled the herd of ignorant and mercenary wretches that had so long occupied and defiled it, their places were to be

supplied by a band of patriots and statesmen, as gifted as disinterestedthe people's own enlightened, unbiased, and deliberate choice. Once put the government of the country-the administration of affairs-into hands such as these, and the inevitable result would be, the immediate regeneration of society, and the securing the greatest happiness to the greatest number. It was fearfully apparent that, under the old system, we had sunk into irredeemable contempt abroad, and were on the very verge of ruin and anarchy at home. So true is it, that when things come to the worst, they begin to mend. In short, the enlightened and enlarged constituencies began forthwith to look out for fit objects of their choice-for the best men; men of independent fortune; of deep stake in the welfare of the country; of spotless private and consistent public character; who, having had adequate leisure, opportunity, inclination, and capacity, had fitted themselves to undertake, with advantage to the country, the grave responsibilities of statesmen and legislators. Such candidates, therefore, as Mr Tittlebat Titmouse became naturally in universal request; and the consequence was, such a prodigious flight of Titmice into the House of Commons-but whither am I wandering? I have to do with only one little borough-that of Yatton, in Yorkshire. The great charter operated upon it, by extending its boundary-Grilston, and one or two of the adjacent places, being incorporated into the new borough. I have ascertained from a very high quarter-in fact, from a deceased Cabinet Minister-a curious and important fact; that had Mr Titmouse failed in recovering the Yatton property, or been of different political opinions, in either of these cases, the little borough of Yatton was doomed to utter extinction: a circumstance which shows the signal vigilance, the accurate and comprehensive knowledge of local interests and capabilities evinced by these great and good men who were remodelling the representation of the country. And little did my hero suspect that his political opinions, as newly-installed owner of Yatton, formed a topic of anxious discussion at more than one Cabinet meeting, previous to the passing of the Great Bill! As its boundary was extended, so the constituency

of Yatton was enlarged, the invaluable elective franchise being given to those most in need of the advantages it could immediately procure; and the fleeting nature of whose interest, naturally enhanced their desire to consult the interests of those who had a permanent and deep stake in its welfare. Though, therefore, the change effected by the new act had so considerably added to the roll of electors, it had not given ground for serious apprehension as to the security of the seat of the owner of the Yatton property. After a very long and private interview between Gammon and Titmouse, in which something transpired which may be referred to hereafter, it was agreed that-(the New Writs having issued within one week after the calmed and sobered new constituencies had been organized-which again had been wisely effected within a week or two after the passing of the act) - Mr Titmouse should instantly scare away all competition, by announcing his determination to start for the borough. As soon as this was known, a deputation from the new electors in Grilston waited upon Mr Titmouse-to propose the terms on which their support was to be obtained. Titmouse was somewhat startled-but Gammon saw in it the legitimate working of the new system; and-nothing was ever better managed-nobody in any mischievous secret-no one compromised ; but the result was, that one hundred and nine plumpers were secured in Grilston alone for Mr Titmouse. Then Gammon appointed Messrs Bloodsuck and Son the local agents of Titmouse; for whom he wrote an address to the electors-and, Titmouse promising to have it printed forthwith, Mr Gammon returned to town for a day or two. Nothing could have been more skilful than the address which he had prepared-terse, and comprehensive, and showy, meaning every thing or nothing (dolosus semper versatur in generalibus, was an observation of Lord Coke's, on which Gammon kept his eye fixed in drawing up his "address.") Yet it came to pass that on the evening of the day of Gammon's departure, a Mr Phelim O'Doodle, a splendid billiard-player, and also one of the first members returned-only a few days before-for an Irish borough in the Liberal interest, chanced to take Yatton in his way to Scotland from

London; and being intimate with Mr Titmouse, from whom he had borrowed a little money a few months before, to enable him to present himself to his constituency-they sate down to canvass the merits of the Address which the astute but absent Gammon had prepared for Titmouse. They pronounced it "devilish dull and tame;" Mr O'Doodle comparing it to toddy, with the whisky omitted: and availing himself of Gammon's draft as far as he approved of it, he drew up the following Address, which put Titmouse into an ecstasy; and he sent it off the very next morning for insertion in the Yorkshire Stingo. Here is an exact copy of that judicious and able performance.

"To the worthy and independent

electors of Yatton.

"GENTLEMEN,-His Majesty hav"ing been pleased to dissolve the late "Parliament, under very remarkable "and exciting circumstances, and, in "the midst of the transports of enthu"siasm arising out of the passing of "that second Great Charter of our "Liberties, the Act for Giving Every"body Everything, to call upon you "to exercise immediately the high "and glorious privilege of choosing

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your representative in the New "Parliament, I beg leave to announce "myself as a candidate for that dis"tinguished honour. Gentlemen, "long before I succeeded in establish"ing my right to reside among you "in my present capacity, I felt a deep "interest in the welfare of the tenants "of the property, and especially of "those residing in the parts adjacent, "and who are now so happily intro"duced into the constituency of this "ancient and loyal borough. I trust "that the circumstance of my ances"tors having resided for ages within "this borough, will not indispose

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you to a favourable reception of "their descendant and representative. "Gentlemen, my political opinions "are those which led to the passing "of the Great Measure I have alluded "to, and which are bound up in it. "Without going into details which "are too multifarious for the limits of "such an address as the present, let "me assure you, that though firmly "resolved to uphold the agricultural "interests of this great country, I am "equally anxious to sustain the com"mercial and manufacturing interests;

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"and whenever they are in conflict
"with each other, I shall be found at
"my post, zealously supporting both,
"to the utmost of my ability. Though
"a sincere and firm member and
"friend of the Established Church,
"I am not insensible to the fearful
"abuses which at present prevail in it;
" and I am bent upon securing the
"utmost possible latitude to every
"species of Dissent. While I am re-
"solved to uphold the interests of
"Protestantism, I think I best do so,
"by seeking to remove all restrictions
"from the Catholics, whom I am per.
"suaded will sacredly abstain from
"endeavouring to promote their own
"interests at the expense of ours.
"Gentlemen, the established religion
" is most likely to flourish when sur-
❝rounded by danger, and threatened
"by persecution; it has an inherent
"vitality which will defy, in the long
"run, all competition. Gentlemen, I
"am for Peace, Retrenchment, and
"Reform, which are in fact the Three
"Polar Stars of my political conduct.
"I am an advocate for quarterly Par-
liaments, convinced that we cannot
"too often be summoned to give an
"account of our stewardship,-and that
"the frequency of elections will occa-
"sion a wholesome agitation, and sti-
"mulus to trade. I am for extending the
"elective franchise to all, except those
"who are actually the inmates of a
"prison or a poor-house on the day
"of election. I am an uncompromis.
"ing advocate of civil and religious
"liberty all over the globe; and, in
"short, of giving the greatest happi-
"ness to the greatest number. Gentle-
"men, before concluding, I wish to
"state explicitly, as the result of long
"and deep enquiry and reflection, that
"every constituency is entitled, nay
"bound, to exact from a candidate for
its suffrages the most strict and
"minute pledges as to his future con-
"duct in Parliament, in every matter,
"great or small, that can come before
"it; in order to prevent his judgment
"being influenced and warped by the
"dangerous sophistries and fallacies
"which are broached in Parliament,
"and his integrity from the base,
"sinister, and corrupt influences which
"are invariably brought to bear on
"public men. I am ready, therefore,
"to pledge myself to any thing that
66 may be required of me by any elec-
"tor who may honour me with his
support. Gentlemen, such are my

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"political principles, and I humbly
"hope that they will prove to be those
"of the electors of this ancient and
"loyal borough, so as to warrant the
"legislature in having preserved it in
"existence, amidst the wholesale havoc
"which it has just made in property
"of this description. Though it is
"not probable that we shall be harassed
"by a contest, I shall make a point of
"waiting upon you all personally, and
humbly answering all questions that
66 may be put to me: and should I be
"returned, rely upon it, that I will
66 never give you occasion to regret
your display of so signal an evidence
"of your confidence in me.-I have
"the honour to be, Gentlemen, your
"most obedient and humble servant,
"T. TITMOUSE.

66

66

"Yatton, 3d December, 18-."

"Upon my soul, if that don't carry the election hollow," said Mr O'Doodle, laying down his pen, and mixing himself a fresh tumbler of brandy and water, "you may call me bog-trotter to the end of my days, and be- -to me!"

"Why-a-ya-as! 'pon my life it's quite a superior article," quoth Titmouse; "but-eh? d'ye think they'll ever believe I writ it all? Egad, my fine fellow, to compose a piece of composition like that-and suppose those dear fellows begin asking me all sorts of thingembobs, eh? You couldn't stay and go about with one a bit ?"

"Faith, Titty, an' your mighty wide awake to the way of doing business, ah, ha! Murder and thieves! what does it signify what you choose to say or write to them? they're only pisintry; and the real point to be looked at is this-all those that you can command, of course you will, or send 'em to the right about; and those that you can't-that's the new blackguards round about-buy, if it's necessary, faith"

"It's!It is, 'pon my soul !" whispered Titmouse.

"Oh? Is it in earnest you are? Then you're M.P. for the borough; and on the strength of it I'll replenish!" and so he did, followed by Titmouse; and in a pretty state they, some hour or two afterwards, were conducted to their apartments.

It is difficult to describe the rage of Gammon on seeing the address which had been substituted for that which he had prepared, with so much cau

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