"Then constable weel nob thee, mon-poor crazy body as he be."

Now this last remark of the retiring footman made Peter Drivel wroth; so he took up a stone, well adapted by its angularity to find its way into a thick skull, if thrown with sufficient force, and hurled it after the insulter with a very creditable degree of precision and impetus. It broke the man's uncovered head. First clapping his hand to the wound, to discover whether the little brains of which he could boast had oozed out, he turned round, and was immediately within arm's-length of the not unprepared Peter.

Without wasting time in any unnecessary preliminaries, issue was immediately joined in single combat, commonly called a fistic duel. I am not going to describe the rounds minutely. It was all round with the west-countryman-he hit round, he whirled round, and his two arms worked like the sails of a windmill going round, and these arms he wished to place round Peter, in order to give him the true Cornish hug. Peter declined it. However, as an indemnity for this uncomplying conduct, Peter delivered his one, two, twenty times over upon all parts of his antagonist's face, and whilst the burly fellow was shaking his head, and making his great eyes greater at these delicate touches, the face-painter got away. In a short time, the poor servant found his head and face almost twice their natural size, and this miracle was produced, too, by a dapper little fellow that he was sure he could have eaten if he could only have got at him.

But in thrashing this man, Peter Drivel did his master the best possible service. This encounter soon drew out the other servants, and seeing a person so little, beating the bully of the servants' hall, they gave up, for once, the esprit de corps of the shoulder-knot, and clamorously preserved fair play. This clamour brought out the female domesticity, a bad word, but let it go, for, if I try to mend it, I may make the matter worse, as they did; for the fray, that was only clamorous before, became obstreperous, which I take to be the meaning that Nelly wished to convey, when she rushed into Miss Belmont's private apartment, and, with the outspread fingers of both her hands above her head, exclaimed, that little Peter, Captain Oliphant's man, was obstropulously beating Heavy Hal, the second footman."

We need not be diffuse on the emotions that this simple intelligence created in the bosom of our romantic lady, who had been hitherto kept profoundly ignorant of Mr. Underdown's attempts at an interview. Acting upon impulse, as every romantic person is bound to do, she followed Nelly to the scene of action, whither also Mrs. Dredgely had repaired, her face more inflamed than that of the sun, trying to work his way through a London fog. She was upon the point of ordering Peter to the cage, without hearing anything on his behalf, when Miss Belmont interposed, or rather

moved an amendment, that for the word cage, should be read "her private sitting-room," which amendment was carried by a very large majority.

However, Peter was a man who wished to bear himself as befitted a man who was the "credentials" of his master, so begged leave, in the first place, to "wash his hands of his late opponent, and they really wanted it, for there was much of his blood upon them.

Borne in graceful triumph between Nelly and the cook, he made his triumphal entry into the kitchen, and eager were the services of all in assisting him at his ablutions. But even under the operation of the pump, Peter ran the risk of suffocation in the painful endeavour to deliver himself of a pun. But, as the maids threw cold water upon the attempt, we will suppose it to be so bad a one, that it was drowned, like an ugly puppy, with seven other pups uglier than he.

Refreshed, and with re-adjusted apparel, Mr. Drivel was ushered into the romantic presence. He had much difficulty in making his way across the room. The impediments were classical as they were numerous, among the most conspicuous of which were two altars, only imagined by Pope, of "twelve French romances finely gilt.' Guitars, harps, and harpsichords, drawing-boards, and easels, an apparatus for staining paper, globes, portfolios, and skippingropes, formed a very imposing confusion. The lady had just completed a very excellent general likeness, in water-colours, of the Belladonna, as she lay at anchor, which was the article which finally arrested the attention, and excited the astonishment, of the much perceptive Peter. That astonishment, however, he was just then too polite to express.

"Well, Peter," said Miss Rosa Belmont, with her colour a little more brilliant than the heat of the day might warrant," I hope my ill-bred servant has not much hurt you, when he beat you just now?"

"Beat me, miss. If you think that lolloping chap beat me,-if you, miss, think so, then indeed I am much hurt. I wish, madam, you would condescend to order him here, and ask him how he likes beating me. Beat me! That beats cockfighting-and I the credentials, too!"

"The what, good Peter?" for the lady wished to be soothing, seeing that he was offended at something, but still thinking that so little a man must have been well thrashed by one so large.

"The credentials, ma'am," said he, quite sti fly. “Captain Oliphant, ma'am, has something very important to communicate to you, ma'am ; and, as he cannot leave the ship, he has sent me ashore with a gentleman, Mr. Underdown, whom the red-faced gentlewoman gently turned out of the house this morning, ma'am, that

gentleman has a letter, ma'am-but I was sent to prove to you that the thing is no hoax-beat me-"

"Indeed, Peter, I am very sorry for it. The cowardly fellow, to take so mean an advantage of his superior strength and size. I'll dismiss him to-morrow-there's a couple of guineas, Peter, to make you some amends for the punishment that the brutish man has inflicted upon you."

Peter took the money irreverently enough, and first tossed up one piece, and then another, from his thumb-nail. Seven times were they so tossed, whilst his mind was still more violently tossed in the troubled sea of doubt, whether he should retain the money given him under an apprehension so insulting to his manliness. At length, his doubts and the money were both quietly disposed of, and he made a low bow, drily observing, "that he should like to be so beaten daily for the same remuneration."

The young lady had just rung the bell, in order to send a servant to Mr. Underdown, to request that he would honour her with a call, when in plunged Mrs. Dredgely, with real alarm, and a great deal of anger depicted on her countenance, a countenance that was excellently adapted to the expression of such emotions.

"O, Miss Rosa, here's murder committed in this very houseand there stands the villain before you. Henry has gone off insensible, and we can't bring him to; his head is as big as a cider-barrel. The doctor will be here directly. I'm sure the man will die, if he is not dead already,—we must secure that savage murderer. O, miss Rosa, and you talking to him so quietly like. You are our prisoner, in the king's name, you savage ruffian, you."

"Pray don't be alarmed, ma'am; my late antagonist is only sulking; a wet swab will bring him to. It is only a judgment upon him for beating me so unmercifully."

'Beat you-why, you've killed the man!"

"The man may die, or the man may leave it alone. I have two good golden reasons for knowing that he beat me this morning most unmercifully."

By this time, Miss Belmont became seriously alarmed, and they went immediately into the entrance hall, where they found Heavy Hal lying on the marble floor in a state of real or assumed insensibility. Already had his hands been slapped, and feathers and rags been burned under his nose. Those about him were in a state of perplexity and alarm, when Mr. Underdown made his appearance. This gentleman always carried a case of surgical instruments with him. Having dispersed the crowd from about the man, he bled him, and soon gave him the full use of the moderate quantity of sense which nature had permitted to him. When his eyes were as much opened as the swelling about them would permit, he shook his head ruefully at Peter Drivel, and looking round at the merri

ment expressed on most of the countenances, he prepared to shamble off in silence.

"You had better lead him to his bed-room, Thomas, and bind up his swelled head."

"A shan't, Madam Dredgely-I says a shan't. I'll go whoam to mother. Ye may send my wages arter me. I turns ye off, and Miss Rosa too, as my misusses. I'll go whoam to mother."

And home to mother the beaten bully went, to the great satisfaction of everybody.

CHAPTER XXVII.

"When art meets art then comes the tug of war."

Now, at this time, there was a sort of armed neutrality between Mrs. Dredgely and the young lady under her charge. Each was on the guard against the other. The elder was fearful of carrying restriction upon the younger to the verge of offence, the younger not desirous of provoking the elder to the display of open enmity. Indeed, considering the short duration of her empire and her future prospects, Mrs. Dredgely was much at a loss whom of the two she should conciliate, the guardian or his ward.

The re-appearance of Mr. Underdown brought the matter to a crisis.

After Miss Belmont had thanked him, in her sweetest tones, for his assistance in recovering her departed servant, she begged that he would do her the honour of walking in, and partaking some refreshment. During this speech, Mrs. Dredgely smiled, and frowned, and fidgetted, but made no objection.

Mr. Underdown, wishing to do all things in the least offensive manner, and thus to do them the more completely, bowed very respectfully, first to Rosa, and then to her chaperone.

"I thank you sincerely for your hospitable kindness," said he to the former; to the latter, "Have I, madam, your permission?"

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Why, sir," Mrs. Dredgely replied, "I am placed in a peculiar situation that I am. A poor lone widow, though of the best family in the county, I assure you—of sound religious principles, too, sir-what am I to do? If I offend Mr. Rubasore-his own relation though I be-he will turn me out to starve upon my poor one hundred and fifty pounds a-year; and I wouldn't, for millions and millions of worlds, anger that dear delightful angel, whom I love better than my whole life. What shall I do what shall I do?" And here there was displayed some of the best imitative sobbing and one of the whitest cambric handkerchiefs possible.

"We request you to do nothing, my dear good lady," said Underdown in his most insinuating voice, "nothing but what will be most conducive to your own interests. Really, Mr. Rubasore has not used you well. I will explain this to you fully however, I will gladly avail myself, in the meantime, of your invitation to take luncheon; I am really hungry."

:

At this repast, Mr. Underdown did everything that could re-assure Mrs. Dredgely, who confessed that she had received a great consideration, provided that, without encountering the opposition of Miss Belmont, she kept that lady from the sight of all visiters until he arrived. This avowal Mr. Underdown had, with great art, gradually drawn from her and, when thus elicited, was the cause of a most excellent burst of indignation from the romantic Rosa. Every adjective, the least synonymous to the word "perfidious," came into energetic play; and the scene, as the contriver of it intended, concluded in Mrs. Dredgely almost flinging herself on her knees before Rosa, askings of pardon, relentings, embraces, kisses, and, ultimately, vows of eternal friendship.

Having thus fully committed the gouvernante, Mr. Underdown next proceeded to explain to the ladies the law and the privilege that Miss Belmont had of choosing other guardians. He then delivered Captain Oliphant's letter, and thus opened to the eyes of Rosa a most delightful, a most blissful prospect. It was then that Mr. Underdown fully observed the romantic ardour of her disposition. The vivid eloquence of her expressions fairly astonished him, to whom astonishment was so unfamiliar.

Yet Mrs. Dredgely did not fully participate in this burst of bliss. When she heard the plan of Rosa being removed to Trestletreehall, the grandeur of the place commented upon, the largeness of the establishment and the amiability of its inmates, and more especially the great command that they had of the most fashionable society, and, during all this, when she found no mention made of her own name as an integral part of all these desirabilities, her cambric handkerchief was again at her eyes, and "Oh! what will become of me?" once more doled forth.

Rosa was too deeply absorbed in her sweet reveries to pay much attention to these complainings; but as Mr. Underdown had not, by a great deal, so much heart at Miss Belmont, who, as she said herself, was "all heart," so he had some little sense of Mrs. Dredgely's sorrow, and thus undertook the part of consoler :

"Do not, my dear madam, give way to these doleful presentiments. Had you no other trust than the gratitude of the Bacuissart family, you would, believe me, have reason to think yourself fortunate. That Miss Belmont will marry Captain Oliphant may almost be pronounced to be a certainty. Reflect if, by any miracle, Mr. Rubasore should possess himself of the hand of his ward, how small would be your chance of hereafter becoming his wife."