"Letter on Mr. H.'s business-business, you knowthat is not betraying that the letter was from Major Nonplus, as he did not wish him to know it, 2s. 11d.

"And as I have no doubt Mrs. Stokes will eventually make me pay for the sheet of paper I have sent for, I'll put paper on Mr. H.'s business, Id.

"Which just makes it-let me see

"Five and eightpence exactly!"

This was almost too much for Captain Datchet's gravity. However, with the assistance of his pockethandkerchief and an artificial fit of sneezing, he was enabled to take out his purse with tolerable gravity, and present Miss MacScrew with six shillings, adding that he had no halfpence.

"Oh! well, I dare say there will be more sheets of paper wanted before the business is over, and the odd fourpence will do to pay for it, you know, pay for it."

Scarcely had Datchet given his unqualified assent to this provident assertion, before Sally returned, bearing the stamp within the sheet of paper, and the sheet of paper within three inches of white-brown paper, which in its turn was placed within Sally's forefinger and thumb.

"Please, ma'am," panted Sally, " Mrs. Stokes says as how the next time you wants a sheet of paper, you'll find Jackson's the stationer's ten doors nearer nor the De Clifford Arms."

"Haven't I told you," said Miss MacScrew, snatching the paper out of Sally's hand, "never to bring me any messages, unless it is an invitation to dinner or to tea, or anything of that sort, but never from those sort of people? There, that will do; you may go. Now you are sure," continued Miss MacScrew, turning to Datchet, as soon as Sally had closed the door, “you are sure that the security is unexceptionable?”

"Oh! not better in England, of which Messrs. Lyeall, Quibble, and Shuffleton will clearly satisfy you; and as for the principal, here is a promissory note of Mr. Her

bert's, filled up with all but the lender's name, agreeing to repay it in three years if required, for which his brother makes himself responsible."

Miss MacScrew took the note, turned it, and looked at it in every possible direction, thereby evincing her sagacity; for Mr. Herbert Grimstone was so innately classical, that upon Cicero's authority he adopted the old Roman double and antithetical meaning of the word promise, which was with him, as it had been with them at one and the same time, both promittere and recipere.

"Well," said she, apparently satisfied with the examination, "I'll give you a bill on my bankers, at two months after date, after date, you know, which will be more convenient than after sight."

"No comparison," responded Datchet, as Miss MacScrew, preparatory to the operation, emptied a little water out of the before-mentioned shaving-pot into a cracked egg-cup that contained some dried-up ink; and Datchet having mended the old stump which had once been a pen, Miss MacScrew proceeded with a trembling hand to fill up the stamp with,

"October 10th, 180-.

"Messieurs Tugwell and Holdfast-Please to pay to my order, two months after date, to Mr. Herbert Grimstone, or bearer, the sum of two thousand pounds, for value received.

"LAVINIA MACSCREW.

"To Messrs. Tugwell and Holdfast, bankers,

No. Fleet-street, London."

"Now I'll just keep this till I get Mr. Lyeall's letter. When will that be?" added Miss MacScrew, carefully locking up the bill.

"Why, if I write by to-day's post, as I shall do,” said Datchet, "you will hear from him the day after to-morrow. And now for the first year's interest." Saying which, he counted out five ten-pound and ten five-pound notes, which he handed to Miss MacScrew, who got into an additional trepidation, requesting to know if he could not give it to her in fewer notes, for it was so very, very dangerous walking up High-street with so much money, which she must do, to deposite it in the Blichingly Bank.

"Oh, yes, I can give you two fifty-pound notes instead," said Datchet.

"Thank you; that is much more convenient," said Miss MacScrew, untying her Leghorn Golgotha, and carefully pinning the two fifty-pound notes in the crown of it with a very large pin, which from long and constant wear shone out in all its brazen glory, and added to the already various decorations of that immortal bonnet.

Well, once more good-by, ma'am !" said Datchet, buttoning his coat carefully over his pocketbook; " and remember, if I get into any scrape with Mr. Herbert about taking this money from you, you must bear me harmless."

66

Yes, yes, I'll bear you harmless," giggled Miss MacScrew, nodding her head, which was all the better for the additional hundred pounds she had got in it; "but I'm sure Mr. Herbert is too gallant to be angry with a lady; you know a lady-"

66

Well, I don't think there is much chance of his being angry with you, or even me, on the present occasion," said Datchet, as he walked into the hall to conceal his laughter, which, however, he could not indulge even there, as he was closely followed by Miss MacScrew, who always officiated as her own porter, and opened the street door. No sooner had she done so on this eventful morning, than a huge black cat rushed into the hall, carrying a herring in its mouth, which it had just purloined from the neighbouring coal-shed. In its anxiety to cover its retreat, it rushed between Miss MacScrew's feet, thereby greatly endangering her equilibrium; but she supported herself against the wall, and with great presence of mind cried out, "Sally, Sally, stop that horrid cat!" Now, luckily for Miss MacScrew, but unluckily for the cat, Sally was coming up stairs at the time, and did as her mistress desired her, when that lady sprang forward and forcibly wrested the herring from the cat's mouth, which she had no sooner done than she let the lawless marauder loose upon society again, by allowing him to pursue his way without further molestation through the staircase window, which, when he had done, Miss MacScrew made over the herring to Sally's custody, with orders to dress it immediately; "and then, Sally, put it by, for I am exceedingly fond of cold fish, exceedingly fond; and it will do for my luncheon to-morrow; hate cats, they are such horrid thieves, horrid thieves!"

66

'Humph "" thought Datchet, as he wended his way

out of Lavender-lane, and who had been exceedingly amused at the whole scene; "they say one should always hear both sides of the question; and I dare say, if the cat could speak, he would say you were a horrid thief, and I've no doubt he would be able to make out his case very clearly."

"Yes,

CHAPTER XVII.

"Not that the thing was either rich or rare,
They only wondered how the d-l it got there."

I have said it-love, madam-life and death lie in your tongue."-SCHILLER'S FIESCO, translated by G. H. N. and J. S.

"Who, though they've been fierce foes before,
Soon as the cause is done and o'er,

Shake hands, and then are foes no more."

Our Lauoyers.

AFTER Datchet's departure, Miss MacScrew had just time to complete a demi-toilet for the day, which consisted of a soft, thick, yet thin muslin dress, which had once been white, with sundry pyramidical flounces, and which "clung round her like a lover," surmounted by a blue cloth spencer, with a very tight back and equally tight sleeves, when Mrs. and Miss Tymmons drove to the door in the green fly, thinking "it would be pleasanter to dear Miss MacScrew to drive," or, as they said, to ride, "than to walk, as she might have some shopping to do before she came to them."

"Oh, very lucky, very lucky!" said the fair Lavinia, as she wedged herself in between fat Mrs. Tymmons, "for I want to go to the Bank, not to leave or get any money, not to get any money, but just to ask a question, a question, you know."

Nature could not have well invented two greater personal contrasts than Miss MacScrew and Mrs. Tymmons, for the latter rejoiced in a form of infinite rotundity, with a face like a full moon in a scarlet fever, and eyes pale, mild, and full as bottled gooseberries. Mrs. Tymmons had been a blonde, and, consequently, had subsided into a bay-wig, with little, fat, round, shi

ny curls, that looked like capillary forced-meat balls. Having got into the habit of presenting Mr. Tymmons with an annual miniature of himself, she had acquired the appearance of always being in that interesting situation, even during the three intermediate months; consequently, Mr. and Mrs. Tymmons were the happy parents of what, in England, is called "a fine family;" that is, half a dozen sons and daughters, one uglier than another. Miss Tymmons was, in spite of her ponceaucoloured hair, considered by her parents, and indeed by every one in Blichingly, except the Simmonses," a very genteel (!) girl;" for she sat very uprightly on her chair, never had a crease upon any of her clothes, scarcely ever spoke, and never laughed at anything that she heard or read, for fear it should not be proper, and had forbidden her brothers (with whom she was an oracle) to read the Pickwick papers, because, as she said, they were so very low and ungenteel," and, for her part, she could not conceive why people thought them so clever. She had only two brothers at home, Mr. Rush Tymmons, who, as we have already stated, was all poetry, pensiveness, and peculiarity, being the genius of the family; Mr. Joseph, on the contrary, being destined to follow his father's calling, was the man of business. In proportion as Mr. Rush was tall and thin, he was fat and short, with nice, fat, sleek-looking, dark-brown hair, like the ears of a pointer pup, and a face between a cherubim's and a trumpeter's, only his whiskers standing boldly out like wings, made it rather more approximate to the former.

66

Mr. Joseph Tymmons's only peculiarity was attending every wedding that took place within ten miles round, no doubt to study how he was to comport himself against the time when he should act a principal part at one, for he made it a point to propose to every young lady he danced with twice, and had thereby obtained the title of "Solicitor-General," which his sire looked upon as a lucky professional omen. Mr. Tymmons, senior, requires no separate description, for he was whatever his wife and daughters pleased, and his dress, which was the principal part of him, consisted, all the year round, of a snuff-coloured coat, mud-coloured results, and gaiters of the same, except in full dress, when it was exchanged for a blue coat, gilt buttons, white waistcoat, and black brevities. The three younger Miss Tymmons