Part 19 (1/2)

'”Mrs Marker,”' said Touineas; tea and sugar found Two in family, and see very little company Five servants kept No man No followers”'

'Oh Lor!' tittered the client 'THAT won't do Read another, young ,”' said Touineas No tea, no sugar Serious fa that,' interrupted the client

'”Three serious footmen,”' said Tom, impressively

'Three? did you say?' asked the client in an altered tone

'Three serious footmen,' replied Tom '”Cook, housemaid, and nursemaid; each feation three times every Sunday-with a serious footman If the cook is more serious than the footman, she will be expected to improve the footman; if the footman is more serious than the cook, he will be expected to improve the cook”'

'I'll take the address of that place,' said the client; 'I don't know but what it htn't suitover the leaves '”Faar, and servants allowed to see male cousins, if Godly Note Cold dinner in the kitchen on the Sabbath, Mr Gallanbile being devoted to the Observance question No victuals whatever cooked on the Lord's Day, with the exception of dinner for Mr and Mrs Gallanbile, which, being a work of piety and necessity, is exempted Mr Gallanbile dines late on the day of rest, in order to prevent the sinfulness of the cook's dressing herself”'

'I don't think that'll answer as well as the other,' said the client, after a little whispering with her friend 'I'll take the other direction, if you please, young ain, if it don't do'

Toenteel client, having satisfied the fat lady with a small fee, meanwhile, went away accompanied by her friend

As Nicholas opened hisman to turn to letter S, and let him knohat secretaryshi+ps remained undisposed of, there came into the office an applicant, in whose favour he immediately retired, and whose appearance both surprised and interested hihteen, of very slight and delicate figure, but exquisitely shaped, alking timidly up to the desk, made an inquiry, in a very low tone of voice, relative to sooverness, or companion to a lady She raised her veil, for an instant, while she preferred the inquiry, and disclosed a countenance of h shaded by a cloud of sadness, which, in one so young, was doubly re received a card of reference to solided away

She was neatly, but very quietly attired; so h her dress, if it had been worn by one who iht have looked poor and shabby Her attendant-for she had one-was a red-faced, round-eyed, slovenly girl, who, frohness about the bare arled shawl, and the half-washed-out traces of smut and blacklead which tattooed her countenance, was clearly of a kin with the servants-of-all-work on the forrins and glances, indicative of the freeirl followed her mistress; and, before Nicholas had recovered fro lady was gone It is not a matter of such complete and utter improbability as some sober people may think, that he would have followed them out, had he not been restrained by what passed between the fat lady and her book-keeper

'When is she co,' replied To his pen

'Where have you sent her to?' asked the fat lady

'Mrs Clark's,' replied Tooes there,' observed the fat lady, taking a pinch of snuff fro his tongue into his cheek, and pointing the feather of his pen towards Nicholas-reminders which elicited from the fat lady an inquiry, of 'Now, sir, what can we do for YOU?'

Nicholas briefly replied, that he wanted to knohether there was any such post to be had, as secretary or aentleman

'Any such!' rejoined the mistress; 'a-dozen-such An't there, Toentleree of fa cousted

Upon reference to the book, it appeared that the dozen secretaryshi+ps had dwindled down to one Mr Gregsbury, the great s, West man, to keep his papers and correspondence in order; and Nicholas was exactly the sort of young sbury wanted

'I don't knohat the terms are, as he said he'd settle them himself with the party,' observed the fat lady; 'but they ood ones, because he's a member of parliament'

Inexperienced as he was, Nicholas did not feel quite assured of the force of this reasoning, or the justice of this conclusion; but without troubling himself to question it, he took down the address, and resolved to wait upon Mr Gregsbury without delay

'I don't knohat the nue place; and if the worst co to knock at all the doors on both sides of the way till you find hial that asn't she?'

'What girl?' deal, eh?' whispered To his chin in the air 'You didn't see her, you didn't-I say, don't you wish you was ?'

Nicholas looked at the ugly clerk, as if he had athe ledger about his ears, but he refrained, and strode haughtily out of the office; setting at defiance, in his indignation, those ancient laws of chivalry, which not only hts to hear the praise of the ladies to whom they were devoted, but rendered it incumbent upon them to roam about the world, and knock at head all such matter-of-fact and un-poetical characters, as declined to exalt, above all the earth, damsels whom they had never chanced to look upon or hear of-as if that were any excuse!

Thinking no longer of his ownwhat could be those of the beautiful girl he had seen, Nicholas, withturns, and many inquiries, and almost as many misdirections, bent his steps towards the place whither he had been directed

Within the precincts of the ancient city of Westminster, and within half a quarter of a ion, the sanctuary of the smaller members of Parlialoo-houses, fro melancholy rows of bills, which say, as plainly as did the countenances of their occupiers, ranged on ministerial and opposition benches in the session which slumbers with its fathers, 'To Let', 'To Let' In busier periods of the year these bills disappear, and the houses sith legislators There are legislators in the parlours, in the first floor, in the second, in the third, in the garrets; the sates In damp weather, the place is rendered close, by the steaeneral postrow faint as they enter its infected liures in quest of franks, flit restlessly to and fro like the troubled ghosts of Cos; and here, at all hours of the night,of latch-keys in their respective keyholes: with now and then-when a gust of wind sweeping across the water which washes the Buildings' feet, impels the sound towards its entrance-the weak, shrill voice of so day, there is a grinding of organs and clashi+ng and clanging of little boxes of s is an eel-pot, which has no outlet but its aard hfare, and a short and narrow neck-and in this respect ititsthemselves into Parliament by violent efforts and contortions, find that it, too, is no thoroughfare for the beyond itself; and that they are fain at last to back out, no wiser, no richer, not one whit s Nicholas turned, with the address of the great Mr Gregsbury in his hand As there was a strea into a shabby house not far from the entrance, he waited until they hadup to the servant, ventured to inquire if he knehere Mr Gregsbury lived

The servant was a very pale, shabby boy, who looked as if he had slept underground frosbury?' said he; 'Mr Gregsbury lodges here It's all right Coet in while he could, so in he walked; and he had no sooner done so, than the boy shut the door, and h: but as e, and all along the narrow stairs, blocking up the , andthe dark entry darker still, was a confused crowd of persons with great importance depicted in their looks; ere, to all appearance, waiting in silent expectation of so event Frohbour, or a little group would whisper together, and then the whisperers would nod fiercely to each other, or give their heads a relentless shake, as if they were bent upon doing so very desperate, and were determined not to be put off, whatever happened

As a fewto explain this phenomenon, and as he felt his own position a peculiarly unco some information from the man next him, when a sudden move was visible on the stairs, and a voice was heard to cry, 'Now, gentle up, the gentlereat alacrity, and to entreat, with extraordinary politeness, that the gentleentlemen nearest the street retorted, with equal courtesy, that they couldn't think of such a thing on any account; but they did it, without thinking of it, inas as Nicholas) forward, and closing up behind, pushed the-roosbury, which they were thus compelled to enter with most unseemly precipitation, and without thethe apartsbury, 'you are welcoentlesbury looked as uncoht be; but perhaps this was occasioned by senatorial gravity, and a statess under control He was a tough, burly, thick-headed gentleman, with a loud voice, a po in theood sbury, tossing a great bundle of papers into a wicker basket at his feet, and throwing himself back in his chair with his arms over the elbows, 'you are dissatisfied with sbury, we are,' said a plu, and planting himself in the front

'Dotowards the speaker, 'or is that styles?'

'I aentlesbury 'Pugstyles, my dear friend, I am very sorry to see you here'

'I astyles; 'but your conduct, Mr Gregsbury, has rendered this deputation from your constituents istyles,' said Mr Gregsbury, looking round upon the deputation with gracious ulated by a sincere regard for the true and real interests of this great and happy country Whether I look at home, or abroad; whether I behold the peaceful industrious communities of our island home: her rivers covered with steamboats, her roads with locomotives, her streets with cabs, her skies with balloons of a power and nitude hitherto unknown in the history of aeronautics in this or any other nation-I say, whether I lookmy eyes farther, contemplate the boundless prospect of conquest and possession-achieved by British perseverance and British valour-which is outspread beforemy eyes to the broad expanse above my head, exclaim, ”Thank Heaven, I am a Briton!”'

The time had been, when this burst of enthusiasm would have been cheered to the very echo; but now, the deputation received it with chilling coldness The general isbury's political conduct, it did not enter quite enough into detail; and one gentleman in the rear did not scruple to remark aloud, that, for his purpose, it savoured rather too asbury, 'is unknown to row a little too fervid, or perhaps even hyperbolical, in extolling my native land, I admit the full justice of the remark I AM proud of this free and happy country My forlistens, my breast heaves, reatness and her glory'

'We wish, sir,' restyles, calentlemen; my tisbury

This perstyles put on his spectacles, and referred to a written paper which he drew from his pocket; whereupon nearly every other member of the deputation pulled a written paper frostyles off, as he read the questions

This done, Mr Pugstyles proceeded to business

'Question nue previous to your election, that in event of your being returned, you would i in the House of Coroaned down in the very first debate of the session, and have since made no effort to effect a refore yourself to astonish the government, and make them shrink in their shoes? And whether you have astonished them, and made them shrink in their shoes, or not?'

'Go on to the next one, sbury

'Have you any explanation to offer with reference to that question, sir?' asked Mr Pugstyles