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day invited to become the pastor of a flock of Independent Christians in Clapham-my dear friend, you'll find it fact-he got a three-and-sixpenny license and started. Old Drone, of Hackney, lent him his pulpit-and Mrs. Waddlebom, the widow of a Wapping ship-chandler, took to him so stoutly, that in less than five days after she first heard him, he won her heart."

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Daly a preacher !” said I.

What, your friend Daly!" exclaimed Harriet.

Oh," said Hull-"he-he-told you of Daly-such a man -macaroons-cows in cupboards, eh-don't you recollect, eh?” "No," said I, "but you eat nothing

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Nothing!" exclaimed Hull-" I have eaten pecks-but I say-Gilbert, d'ye remember the three legs of lamb and the spinach-eh-don't you recollect the French Count and

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"Yes," said I, interrupting him in a tone not likely to encourage the style he had adopted" but with respect to Daly, how can he so suddenly have adopted this line-it is but a very short time since he was down here, and then he had certainly no idea of taking to that style of exhibition."

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My dear Ma'am," said Hull, turning to my wife-" you know nothing of Gilbert's early friend, Daly-pooh! pooh! such a fellow!-I have known him carry home a bag full of knockers and bells, when he has dined with me-thousands of signs-Red Lions and Green Dragons-all the same to himand the Cow and the-he-he-he!"

This was too much; the reminiscences grew powerful and perilous however, in order to save myself I tried back upon our excellent friend's adoption of what might be called the clerical line.

"True," said Hull, "quite true-I tell you he preaches" "Well, but," said I, "it is less than three weeks since he was here."

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Versatility was always his delight,” said Hull.

Versatility!" said I, "yes, but the versatility which can convert a man from an author into an actor, and then into a parson

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My dear friend," said Hull, "nothing so natural in the world-Daly was on his last legs-all gone-done, dishedwhat was left?-nothing but the Tabernacle, and there, under the especial protection of his puritan publisher, he succeeded

and I give you my word-all true-hey?-you will find him the happy husband of a woman with I do not happen to know how much a-year."

1 was not particularly sorry to hear that Daly had fallen upon what Hull called his "last legs," but I certainly did once again begin to doubt the invariably correct history of Hull; and then I took a fancy into my head that he might have cherished the idea of taking-if not to the church, to the conventicle, by finding my worthy father-in-law extremely comfortable, and carrying on the duties even of the Establishment with an agreeable air of gayety. What had hit him which could have induced him to take to his present calling I certainly could not ascertain, but the visible result-I mean the captivation and capture of a rich and well-to-do widowproved to me that, as far as worldly matters went, he had in a few days done much more than he or any body else could have expected.

Having got this subject nearly over and out of the way, nobody can imagine the nervousness with which I was afflicted lest Hull should revert to the story of Daly's first wife-that was the point-and a point which, as I anticipated, he most particularly thought it facetious to hit.

"What a nice girl Emma Haines was!" said Hull. Harriet looked strangely.

"Yes," said I," very nice

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Strange chance, Ma'am, that you were ever Mrs. Gilbert Gurney," said Hull, chuckling; " if it had not been for Daly's winning ways I never should have been here nor you neither; odd-curious to think upon what little things great things turn -eh? My dear Ma'am, there he was, all over head and ears in love-true-eh? I happen to know, when-pooh! pooh! don't tell me- -Daly went down to a-watering place and put his nose out of joint."

"Well," said I, with an affected indifference," Mrs. Gurney knows all that, for I have told her the whole history; but his present position seems much more curious.”

"Curious," said Hull, "there never was such a thing. My dear friend, as I told you long ago-I happen to know-he is one of the cleverest dogs in the world; the moment the notion was given him of winning the widow, in one week he worked the scheme; and however much you seem to doubt it, he is a preacher, and considered a good one, too, amongst the connexion. He is not slow in his movements-all touch and go; whether they are widows or not-eh?-you dog-he! he! he!"

I wished him at old Nick-my thoughts reverted to his early ill treatment of me, and then I fell to thinking of his letter to me and its contents, and began more to understand its

bearings. The word connexion, which I had taken merely to refer to the expected marriage, I found to combine also the spiritual connexion with some eccentric sect to which he had, pro hac vice, attached himself.

As for Harriet, never having been accustomed to the ways and manners of society like that in which my worthy Hull had been so long and so constantly in the habit of moving, she was extremely pleased and even astonished by his manner; for dear Hull was the most gentle and gallant of men when there were ladies present, and the fellow of all others to speak of them kindly and justly when they were absent. He was a good creature, clever himself, and an admirer and appreciator of talent in others: but my wife had never seen what is called the world; and therefore as she could not exactly comprehend our visiter, she could not help wondering at him; and, to tell the truth, his observations and remarks kept me, as I had anticipated, in a state of so much nervous excitement, that I was not sorry when Harriet left us, having taken leave of her new old acquaintance earlier than she otherwise would have done, inasmuch as she had left Jane to entertain Mrs. Nubley, who could not be induced to come down to luncheon, when she heard there was a male visiter, because she was, "lauk, such a figure-he! he he!"

When my wife had retired, and I saw Hull fidgeting to get away, I proposed walking with him down to the inn, whence he was to mount his "yellow and two," en route, to Portsmouth.

"My dear friend," said Hull, "let me beg of you not to think of such a thing-me-take you out of your house-pooh! pooh!-no: stay where you are-I beg―

"I am going to the rectory," said I, "I must have my walk, and on our way you will, perhaps, tell me for I was delight ed you did not mention any thing before Harriet of the Indian business-what you really think the result of my poor brother's misfortune or indiscretion will be."

"I can tell you all I know here," said Hull. “I think things are not so bad as they are represented; and I happen to know that I can pick up undoubted intelligence at Portsmouth. I'll write to you thence; but-now don't trouble yourself, my dear Gilbert, to walk. Mrs. Gurney is alone, and- 99

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No," said I," she is not; she has two companions,-she will be busy-and the weather is fine, and I want to see Mrs. Wells; so, come along."

"Upon my word," said Hull, looking very serious-and it

was surprising to see what a gloom he could throw into his usually joyous countenance-"it vexes me

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"Come along," said I, pushing my arm within his, and jocosely poking him along; "don't talk nonsense."

"Nonsense," said Hull; "my dear friend, I don't talk nonsense; I know that a man in your position must have a great many things to do—many affairs to look after-why should I break in upon you?"

"Many things to do?" said I; "I wish I had. I have nothing to do."

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My dear friend, why should you have any thing to do?" replied, or rather inquired, my extraordinary companion; "an independent man like you-don't tell me."

"Well then," said I, "if that be the case, and the position is an enviable one, which I assure you I do not acknowledge, what better use can I make of my time than in walking with you to the inn, where my appearance may, perhaps, have the effect of securing a pair of faster horses, and a more sprightly driver than you would otherwise get?"

"My dear fellow, I don't want fast horses," said Hull, evidently soured by my pertinacious attention to his comfort; "it makes no difference to me whether I get to Portsmouth at five, or six, or seven, or eight-pooh! pooh!"

"If that's the case, Hull," said I, "you might as well have stayed with us, and dined and slept."

"Pooh! pooh!" answered he; "what do I want with sleep? Now do return home. Mrs. Gurney will hate me for taking you away."

“Not she,” said I; and, upon a principle of opposition and contrariety, which might, perhaps, serve to illustrate the vileness of our nature, I resolved not to go back, because it appeared to me that Hull had some especial and particular reason for wishing me not to go on. This fallibility of humanity shows itself universally; nobody is ever satisfied by seeing other people have things all their own way; from the jealousies and bickerings at Court, or in the Cabinet, to the commonest struggle in the street, the spirit is the same. As the great English censor says, speaking of some ministerial rivalry,

"So, if some dirty urchin dares encroach

On the hind foot-board of a hackney coach,
His playmate shows the envy of his mind
By bawling, Cut-cut-cut-cut-cut behind."

In the present case Hull's anxiety evidently was to cut me; but I was "unshakeoffable," and, as the French gentleman says, the more he tried to persuade me, the more I would not go back.

Finding me resolved, he became silent, and looked sad, as I thought; and, having revolved something in his mind, burst out with a strong desire to do himself the honour of calling at the rectory, to drop a card for Wells, where he could leave

me.

"But," said I, “ my dear Hull, we must actually pass the inn to go to the parsonage I never saw you in such a worry before."

"Oh! not I," said Hull; "nothing worries me, pooh pooh." And hereabouts in the dialogue we reached the summit of the gentle acclivity, whence one again descends into Blissfold, and I was about to entreat him to enlighten me a little more with regard to Mrs. Brandyball's early history, of which he had professed to know much, when I beheld a female of Brandyball dimensions, but considerably her senior, with a bright crimson cloak and fur tippet, a bonnet of remarkable size and shape, the relieving colour to the whole appendage being coquelicot of the most fiery tinge.

"Ha!" said I," here is a stranger-a rarity in these parts!" Hull did not without his glass distinctively perceive the approaching mass of humanity, but, having made use of his "preservers," he uttered his customary "pooh, pooh!" in the deepest possible grunt, and made one more effort at checking my progress with "Now, pray don't come any further."

"Oh, come on," said I; "let us see the new arrival." "Oh! arrival-pooh!" said Hull: "well never mind." We neared the object, and when at the distance of about five or six yards, the lady puffing and blowing with the exertion of getting up the little hill, exclaimed, in a tone of the severest reproach

"Oh, Tommy, Tommy! I thought you were never coming; there's the dinner a spiling, and gitting as cold as ice."

"Tommy!" said Hull, looking as fierce as a turkey-cock: "don't Tommy me." At the end of which speech, which brought them in closer contact, he gave her a glance expres sive of rage at her rashness, and an earnest desire that she should submit to be "cut" as patiently as the little boys by the hackney-coachmen.

"What d'ye mean, Mr. Hull?” said the lady: "why do you order an early dinner, and say we shall enjoy ourselves-as

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