Mr Quirk's appearance might have suggested the idea of a great old tomcat who is rubbed down the right way of the fur, and does everything he can to testify the delight it gives him, by pressing against the person who affords him such gratification,)—“ especially in financial matters

"Ah, Gammon, Gammon! you're really past finding out!-Sometimes, now, I declare I fancy you the very keenest dog going in such matters, and at other times, eh ?-not particularly brilliant. When you've seen as much of this world's villany, Gammon, as I have, you'll find it as necessary as I have found it, to lay aside one'sone's I say, to lay aside all scrupthat is, I mean,-one's fine feelings, and so forth you understand, Gammon?"

"Perfectly, Mr Quirk'

"Well-and may I ask, Gammon, what is the particular occasion of that screwed up forehead of yours? Something in the wind?"

"Only this, Mr Quirk-I begin to suspect that I did very wrong in recommending you to give an indefinite time to that Mr Aubrey for payment of the heavy balance he owes us-by Heavens !-see how coolly he treats us!"

"Indeed, Gammon, I think so!Besides, 'tis an uncommon heavy balance to owe so long, eh?-Fifteen hundred pounds, or thereabouts ?— 'Gad! it's that, at least!"- Gammon shrugged his shoulders, and bowed, as resigned to any step which Mr Quirk might think proper to take.

"He's a villanous proud fellow, that Aubrey, eh?-Your swell debtors generally are, though-when they've got a bit of a hardship to harp upon "

"Certainly we ought, when we had him in our power".

"Ah!-D'ye recollect, Gammon? the thumbscrew? eh? whose fault was it that it wasn't put on? eh? Tell me that, friend Gammon! Are you coming round to old Caleb Quirk's matter-of-fact way of doing business? Depend on't, the old boy has got a trick or two left in him yet, gray as his hair's grown."

"I bow, my dear Sir,-I own myself worsted, and all through that absurd weakness I have, which some choose to call "

"Oh Lord, Gammon! Bubble, bub

ble and botheration, ah, ha !-Come, there's nobody here but you and meand-eh! old Bogy perhaps-so why that little bit of blarney?"

"Oh, my dear Mr Quirk, spare me that cutting irony of yours. Surely when I have made the sincere and humiliating submission to which you have been listening,-but to return to business. I assure you that I think we ought to lose not a moment in getting in our balance, or at least coming to some satisfactory and definite arrangement concerning it. Only pinch him, and he'll bleed freely, depend on it.'

"Ah, ha! Pinch him, and he'll bleed! That's my thunder, Gammon, ah, ha, ha!-By Jove! that's it to a T-I always thought the fellow had blood enough in him if we only squeezed him a little-so let Snap be off and have a writ out against Master Aubrey.'

. "Forgive me, my dear Mr Quirk," interrupted Gammon, blandly-" we must go very cautiously to work, or we shall only injure ourselves, and prejudice our most important-and permanent interests. We must take care not to drive him desperate, poor devil, or he may take the benefit of the act, and"

"What a cursed scamp he would be to"

66

Certainly; but we should suffer more than he"

"Surely, Gammon, they'd remand him! Eighteen months at the very least."

"Not an hour-not a minute, Mr Quirk," said Gammon, very earnestly.

"The deuce they wouldn't? Well! Law's come to a pretty point! And so lenient as we've been !"

"What occurs to me as the best method of procedure," said Gammon, after musing for a moment-" is, for you to write a letter to him immediately-civil but peremptory-just one of those letters of yours, my dear sir, in which no man living can excel you --suaviter in modo, fortiter in re, Mr Quirk."

"Gammon, you're a gentleman, every inch of you-you are, upon my soul ! If there is one thing in which I-but you're a hand at a letter of that sort, too! And you have managed these people hitherto; why not go on to the end of the chapter ?"

"Mr Quirk, I look upon this letter

as rather an important one-it ought to come from the head of the firm, and to be decisively and skilfully expressed, so as at once to- -eh? but you know exactly what ought to be done."

"Well-leave it to me,-leave it to me, Gammon: I think I do know how to draw up a teazer-egad! You can just cast you're eye over it as soon as".

"If I return in time from Clerkenwell, I will, Mr Quirk," replied Gammon, who had, however, determined not to disable himself from saying with literal truth that he had not seen one line of the letter which might be sent! and, moreover, resolving to make his appearance at Mr Aubrey's almost immediately after he should, in the course of the post, have received Mr Quirk's letter with every appearance and expression of distress, agitation, and even disgust; indignantly assur ing Mr Aubrey that the letter had been sent without Mr Gammon's knowledge-against his will—and was entirely repudiated by him; and that he would take care, at all hazards to himself, to frustrate any designs on the part of his coarse and hardhearted senior partner to harass or oppress Mr Aubrey. With this explanation of precedent circumstances, I proceed to lay before the reader an exact copy of that old cat's-paw, Mr Quirk's, letter to Mr Aubrey, the arrival of which had produced the sensation I have already intimated.

"Saffron Hill, 30th September 18-.

"SIR-We trust you will excuse our reminding you of the very large ballance (£1446, 14s. 6d.) still remaining due upon our account-and which we understood, at the time when the very favourable arrangement to you, with respect to Mr. Titmouse, was made, was to have been long before this liquidated. Whatever allowances we might have felt disposed, on account of your peculiar situation, to have made, (and which we have made,) we cannot but feel a little surprised at your having allowed several months to elapse without making any allusion thereto. We are satisfied, however, that you require only to be reminded thereof, to have your immediate attention directed thereto, and to act in that way that will conduce to liquidate our very heavy ballance against you.

We are sorry to have to press you; but being much pressed ourselves with serious outlays, we are obliged to throw ourselves (however reluctantly) upon our resources; and it gives us pleasure to anticipate that you must by this time have made those arrangements that will admit of your immediate attention to our over-due account, and that will render unnecessary our resorting to hostile and compulsory proceedings of that extremely painful description that we have always felt extremely reluctant to, particularly with those gentlemen that would feel it very disagreeable. We trust that in a week's time we shall hear from you to that effect that will render unnecessary our proceeding to extremities against you, which would be extremely painful to us.—I remain, sir, yours most obediently, "CALEB QUIRK.

"CHARLES AUBREY, ESQ.

"P.S.-We should have no objection, if it would materially relieve you, to take your note of hand for the aforesaid ballance (£1446, 14s. 6d.) at two months, with interest, and good security. Or say, £800 down in two months, and a warrant of attorney for the remainder, at two months more.'

As soon as all three of them had finished reading the above letter, in the way I have described, Mrs Aubrey threw her arms round her silent and oppressed husband's neck, and Kate, her bosom heaving with agitation, returned to her seat, without uttering a word.

"My darling Charles!" faltered Mrs Aubrey, and wept.

"Never mind, Charles-let us hope that we shall get through even this," commenced Kate; when her emotion prevented her proceeding. Mr Aubrey appeared to cast his eye again, but mechanically only, over the dry, civil, heart-breaking letter.

"Don't distress yourself, my Agnes," said he, tenderly, placing her beside him, with his arm round her "it is only reasonable that these people should ask for what is their own; and if their manner is a little coarse'

“Oh, I've no patience, Charles !— It's the letter of a vulgar, hardhearted fellow," sobbed Mrs Aubrey.

"Yes they are wretches!-cruel harpies!" quoth Kate, passionately,

confident that neither was the composition of the letter, nor the idea of sending it, his; besides, he has really shown on every occasion a straightforward and disinterested"

wiping her eyes-" they know that you have almost beggared yourself to pay off by far the greater part of their abominable bill; and that you are slaving day and night to enable you to "here her agitation was so excessive as to prevent her uttering another word.

“I must write and tell them," said Aubrey calmly, but with a countenance laden with gloom-"it is all I can do but if they will have patience with me, I will pay them all."

"Oh, they'll put you in prison, Charles, directly," said Kate passionately; and rising, she threw herself into his arms, and kissed him with a sort of frantic energy. "We're very miserable, Charles-are not we? It's very hard to bear indeed," she continued, gazing with agonizing intensity on his troubled features. Mrs Aubrey wept in silence.

"Are you giving way, my brave Kate, with this sudden and momentary gust on the midnight sea of our trouble?" enquired her brother, proudly but kindly gazing at her, and with his hand gently pushing from her pale cheeks her disordered hair.

“Human nature, Charles, must not be tried too far,-look at Agnes, the darling little loves"

"I am not likely to consult their interests, Kate, by yielding to unmanly emotion,-am I, sweet Agnes?" She made him no reply, but shook her head, sobbing bitterly.

"Pray what do you think, Charles, of your friend Mr Gammon, now?" enquired Kate, suddenly and scornfully. "Oh, the smooth-tongued villain! I've always hated him!"

"I must say there's something about his eye that is any thing but pleasing," said Mrs Aubrey; "and so I thought when I saw him at York for a moment."

"He's a hypocrite, Charles-depend upon it; and in this letter he has thrown off the mask"-interrupted Kate.

"Is it his letter? How do we know that he has had any thing to do with it?" enquired her brother, calmly"It is much more probable that it is the production of old Mr Quirk alone, for whom Mr Gammon has, I know, a profound contempt. The handwriting is Mr Quirk's; the style is assuredly not Mr Gammon's, and the whole tone of the letter is such as makes me VOL. XLIX. NO. CCCII.

"Oh, Charles, it is very weak of you to be so taken with such a man ; he's a horrid fellow-I can't bear to think of him! One of these days, Charles, you'll be of my opinion!"whilst she thus spoke, and whilst Mrs Aubrey was, with a trembling hand, preparing tea, a double knock was heard at the street door.

"Gracious, Charles! who can that possibly be, and at this time of night?" exclaimed Kate, with alarmed energy.

"I really cannot conjecture,"-replied Mr Aubrey, with no little agitation of manner, which he found it impossible to conceal,-"we've certainly but very few visiters, and so late." The servant in a few minutes terminated their suspense, and occasioned them nearly equal alarm and amazement, by laying down on the table a card bearing the name of MRGAMMON.

"Mr Gammon !" exclaimed all three in a breath, looking apprehensively at each other-" Is he alone ?" enquired Mr Aubrey, with forced calmness.

"Yes, sir."

"Show him into the parlour, then," replied Mr Aubrey, "and say I will be with him in a few moments' time."

"Dear Charles, don't, dearest, think of going down," said his wife and sister, with excessive alarm and agitation; "desire him to send up his message.'

"No, I shall go and see him, and at once," replied Mr Aubrey, taking one of the candles.

"For heaven's sake, Charles, mind what you say to the man; he will watch every word you utter. And, dearest, don't stay long; consider what tortures we shall be in!" said poor Mrs Aubrey, accompanying him to the door.

"Rely on my prudence, and also that I shall not stop long," he replied; and descending the stairs, he entered the study.

In a chair near the little book-strewn table sat his dreaded visiter, who instantly, on seeing Mr Aubrey, rose, with distress and agitation visible in his countenance and deportment. Mr Aubrey, with calmness and dignity, begged him to resume his seat; and when he had done so, sat

B

An

lancholy history? Here were individuals, whose condition was testing the reality of the consolations of religion, exhibiting humility, resignation, faith, a deep delight in attending the house of HIM who had permitted such dreadful disasters to befall them, and whose will it yet seemed to be that they should pass through deeper sufferings than they had yet experienced. His temple seemed, indeed, to them a refuge and shelter from the storm. To Mr Aubrey every portion of the church service was precious, for its purity, its simplicity, its solemnity, its fervour, its truly scriptural character, its adaptation to every imaginable condition of feeling and of circumstance, indeed "to all sorts and conditions of men." There was a little circumstance, fraught with much interest, which occurred to them shortly after they had commenced their attendance at the church. occasional sermon was preached one evening by a stranger, from the words," Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him," on behalf of a neighbouring dispensary. Mr Aubrey was soon struck by the unusual strength and beauty of the sermon in point of composition. Its language was at once chaste, pointed, and forcible; its reasoning clear and cogent; its illustration apt and vivid; its pathos genuine. As he went on, Mr Aubrey became more and more convinced that he had seen or heard the preacher before; and on enquiring afterwards his name, his impressions proved to be correct; the preacher had been at Oxford, at the very same college with him, and this was the first time that they had since come within sight of each other. Mr Aubrey at once introduced himself, and was recognised, and they renewed their early friendship. Mr Neville, poor soul, had nothing upon earth to support himself with but an afternoon lectureship in one of the city churches, from which he derived about L.75 a-year; and on this sum alone he had contrived, for the last six or eight years, to support both himself and his wife, a very amiable and fond woman. tunately they had no children; but they had seen much affliction, each of them being in but middling health, and a great part of his little income was, consequently, devoted to doc tors' bills. He was an admirable

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scholar; a man of very powerful understanding, and deeply read in metaphysics and divinity. Yet this was all he could procure for his support; and very pinching work for them, poor souls, it was to "make ends meet." They lived in very small but creditable lodgings; and amid all their privations, and with all the gloom of the future before them, they were as cheerful a little couple as the world ever saw. They dearly loved, and would have sacrificed every thing for each other; and so long as they could but keep their chins above water, they cared not for their exclusion from most of the comforts of life. They were, both of them, entirely resigned to the will of Heaven as to their position-nay, in all things. She generally accompanied him whithersoever he went; but on the present occasion the little creature was lying at home in bed, enduring great suffering and the thought of it made the preacher's heart very heavy, and his voice to falter a little, several times, during his sermon. He was perfectly delighted when Mr Aubrey introduced himself; and when the latter had heard all his friend's little historyfor he had indeed a child-like simplicity and frankness, and told Mr Aubrey every thing he knew about himself-he wrung his hand with great emotion-almost too great for expression. It seemed that a bishop, before whom poor Neville had acci. dentally preached seven years before, had sent for him, and expressed such a very high opinion of his sermon, as led him reasonably to look for some little preferment at his lordship's hands, but in vain. Poor Neville had no powerful friends, and the bishop was overwhelmed with applicants for every thing he had to give away; so it is not much to be wondered at that in time he totally lost sight of Mr Neville, and of the hopes which had blossomed but to be blighted. What touched Mr Aubrey to the soul, was the unaffected cheerfulness with which poor Mr Neville-now in his fortieth year-reconciled himself to his unpromising circumstances, the calmness with which he witnessed the door of preferment evidently shut upon him for ever. Mr Aubrey obtained from him his address; and resolved that, though for reasons long ago mentioned he had withdrawn from almost

every one of his former friends and associates, yet with this poor, this neglected but happy clergyman, he would endeavour to renew and cement firmly their early-formed but long-suspended friendship. And when on his return to Vivian Street, (whither Mrs and Miss Aubrey had proceeded alone, at his request, while he walked on with Mr Neville,) he told them the little history which I have above indicated to the reader how the hearts of all of them went forth towards one, who was in many respects a fellowsufferer with themselves, and, practising what he preached, was really a pattern of resignation to the will of God; of humble but hearty faith in His mercy and loving-kindness!

Mr Aubrey was not long in paying his promised visit to Mr Neville, accompanied by Mrs Aubrey. 'Twas a long and not very agreeable walk for them, towards St George's in the East; and on reaching a small row of neat houses, only one story high, and being shown into Mr Neville's very little sitting-room, they found Mrs Neville lying on a sofa near the fire, looking very ill, and Mr Neville sitting before her, with a number of books on the table, and pen, ink, and paper, with which he was occupied preparing his next Sunday's sermon; but there was also a slip of paper on the table of a different description, and which had occasioned both of them great distress; viz. a rather peremptory note from their medical man, touching the payment of his "trifling account" of L.14 odds. Where poor Neville was to obtain such a sum, neither he nor his wife knew they had already almost deprived themselves of necessary food and clothing, to enable them to discharge another account, and this new demand of an old claim had indeed grievously disquieted them. They said nothing about it to Mr and Mrs Aubrey, who soon made themselves at home, and by their unaffected simplicity and cordiality of manner, relieved their humble hosts from all anxiety. They partook of tea, in a sufficiently homely and frugal style; and before they rose to go they exacted a promise, that, as soon as Mrs Neville should have recovered, they would both come and spend a long day in Vivian Street. They soon became very intimate; and, Mrs Neville's health at length being such as to preclude her from at

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tending at all to her needle, the reader will probably think none the less of Miss Aubrey and Mrs Aubrey, when he hears that they insisted on taking that task upon themselves, (a matter in which they were becoming somewhat expert,) and many and many an hour did these two charming women spend, both in Vivian Street and at Mrs Neville's, in relieving her from her labours-particularly in preparing their winter clothing. And now that I am on this point, I may as well mention another not less amiable trait in Kate; that, hearing of a girl's school about to be founded in connexion with the church which they attended, and in support of which several ladies had undertaken to prepare various little matters, such as embroidery, lace, pictures, and articles of fancy and ornament, Kate also set to work with her pencil and brushes. She was a very tasteful draughts woman; and produced four or five such delicate and beautiful sketches, in water colour, of scenes in and about Yatton, as made her a very distinguished contributor to the undertaking; each of her sketches producing upwards of two guineas. She also drew a remarkably spirited crayon sketch of the pretty little head of Charles-who accompanied her to the place where her contributions were deposited, and delivered it in with his own hand. Thus were this sweet and amiable family rapidly reconciling themselves to their altered circumstances-taking real pleasure in the new scenes which surrounded them, and the novel du.. ties devolving upon them; and as their feelings became calmer, they felt how true it is that happiness in this world depends not upon mere external circumstances, but upon THE MIND-which, contented and well regulated, can turn every thing around it into a source of enjoyment and thankfulness-making indeed the wilderness to bloom and blossom as the rose.

They kept up-especially Kate-a constant correspondence with good old Doctor Tatham; who, judging from the frequency and the length of his letters, which were written with a truly old-fashioned distinctness and uniformity of character, must have found infinite pleasure in his task. So also was it with Kate, who if she had even been writing to her lover,-nay, between ourselves, what would Dela