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spirits myself, and I expect that my young gentlemen will refrain from it also. Now you may go, and as soon as your uniforms arrive, you will repair on board. In the mean time, as I had some little insight into your character when we travelled together, let me recommend you not to be too intimate at first sight with those you meet, or you may be led into indiscretions. Good morning.'

I quitted the room with a low bow, glad to have surmounted so easily what appeared to be a chaos of difficulty; but my mind was confused with the testimony of the midshipman, so much at variance with the language and behavior of the captain. When I arrived at the Blue Post, I found all the midshipmen in the coffee-room, and I repeated to them all that had passed. When I had finished, they burst out laughing, and said that they had only been joking with me. Well,' said I to the one who had called me up in the morning, you may call it joking, but I call it lying.'

Pray Mr. Bottlegreen, do you refer to me?'

'Yes, I do,' replied I.

Then, sir, as a gentleman, I demand satisfaction. Slugs in a saw-pit. Death before dishonor, d

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'I shall not refuse you,' replied I, although I had rather not fight a duel; my father cautioned me on the subject, desiring me, if possible, to avoid it, as it was flying in the face of my Creator; but aware that I must uphold my character as an officer, he left me to my own discretion, should I ever be so unfortunate as to be in such a dilemma.'

'Well, we don't want one of your father's sermons at second hand,' replied the midshipman, (for I had told them that my father was a clergyman,) the plain question is, will you fight or will you not?'

Could not the affair be arranged otherwise?' interrupted another. < Will not Mr. Bottlegreen retract?'

My name is Simple, sir, and not Bottlegreen,' replied I: and as he did tell a falsehood, I will not retract.'

Then the affair must go on,' said the midshipman.

will oblige me by acting as my second.'

Robinson, you

'It's an unpleasant business,' replied the other, you are so good a shot; but as you request it, I shall not refuse. Mr. Simple is not, I believe, provided with a friend.'

Yes, he is, replied another of the midshipmen. He is a spunky fellow, and I'll be his second.'

It was then arranged that we should meet the next morning with pistols. I considered that as an officer and a gentleman, I could not well refuse, but I was very unhappy. Not three days left to my own guidance, and I had become intoxicated, and was now to fight a duel. I went up into my room and wrote a long letter to my mother, inclosing a lock of my hair; and having shed a few tears at the idea, of how sorry she would be if I were killed, I borrowed a bible of the waiter, and read it during the remainder of the day.

3*

(To be continued.)

THE SOUGHT, FOUND, AND LOST.

WHY should not unmarried men be distinguished from the less interesting portion of their sex, by some designation equivalent to that usual among us? Why are they always Mr., while we change from Miss to Mrs.? Many distressing mistakes would be obviated if this were arranged-much less expenditure of time and money saved. All mothers of daughters are aware of the awkwardness to which they are at present liable, from finding themselves occasionally necessitated, either to remain in ignorance whether a new male acquaintance be married or not, or else expose themselves to a supposition of all others the most to be avoided-namely, that of any anxiety whatsoever on the point. I know such embarrassments do not very often occur; and yet there are occasions, when you are left to follow a trail, so indistinct, that it might baffle the most experienced Indian, or English, husbandhunter.

I

Some time since I was travelling through the south of Italy-for my health, as mamma told papa, but, in reality, to run down game which we had started in Switzerland, but which afterwards escaped us. did not think it a very promising affair, for my own part; but mamma said she was sure of success, and I knew she had never failed with any of my elder sisters. The man had not been very uncivil to me during an intimacy of some months, and this gave me high spirits; and so, on we scampered over hills and down vallies. Papa sometimes wanted to stop to see the curiosities; but mamma would not hear of it, averring, it was as much as my life was worth, to defer for a day my journey to a warm climate; and I used to cough whenever papa awoke in the carriage, to corroborate mamma's account of the delicate state of my chest.

We flew through Italy; and were I a sentimental young lady, I should doubtless give a charming account of the glories of nature and of art which we passed on our journey; but I candidly admit, I could never see any good in a country walk, or drive, but might afford opportunity for a declaration. I have been well brought up by a sensible mamma, and shall not discredit her lessons. I like the observation of the Frenchman to his pastoral friend, in extasies over a flock of sheep, browsing at a distance- perhaps out of the whole, there was not one tender.' I want to know the real utility of being romantic. I cannot fall in love with the marble Apollo, nor any of his set. I had rather see a living man, with a well-cut coat on his back, and a pair of trousers, the most in fashion on his limbs. So, I shall only say, we reached Naples. Mr. W. had just left the town, no one could tell us for what destination. We sent scouts abroad, in various directions, and, while awaiting their reports, I had another good opportunity for sonnet-writing-and sonnets I certainly should have indited, had I the slightest no.

tion they could have assisted me in getting married. But I recollected that even Sappho, in despair of finding a husband, drowned herself and I thought there might be as many Phaons to be met with as then. Our scouts returned, without any tidings of our run-away. Mamma declared her intention of striking into the Abruzzi. Papa expostulated with her upon the danger of venturing into a country overrun with banditti, who might frighten poor Emily to death, in her present delicate state of health; and mamma was suffering him to buzz on without minding him, when a carriage drove up to the door. A gentleman alighted, and mamma clapping her hands, cried out, Emily!' The gentleman at once recognized her, and the next moment our marked victim was in the room. The hotel was crowded. Mamma offered Mr. W. the use of our room and table. He was delighted, and passed the whole evening with us. I returned his first salutations quite regally. I afterwards sat near papa, gave him my undivided attention, and did my utmost to amuse him-circumstances which, I saw, very much surprised poor papa. My nonsensical Emily and her papa are great flirts,' said mamma, smiling at Mr. W.

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Oh, I protest against such monopoly on the part of Mr. H.,' he replied.

Mamma laughed. I wonder how any single man on earth could venture so decided an expression in the presence of such a mother. She would marry a man ten times over on less than that.

Days and weeks passed, and still we all lived together, and still Mr. W. was civil and no living creature could be more easy, and more free from all apprehensions of us. He showed none of that standing-on-guard manners of other single men, who are always on the qui vive, like a besieged town in constant fear of a coup-de-main. Either he liked me, and met his fate voluntarily, or he was a more simple person than we had taken him for. But now the question was, 'Why don't he declare himself?' and a morning did come, when he actually, after looking expressively at us, called papa to take a turn with him! Judge how delighted mamma and I were there could be but one subject between him and papa, whom he very naturally considered a dead bore; and how we did congratulate each other on this brilliant achievement!-how we described, for mutual gratification, his two seats in two of the best neighborhoods in England-and his town-house-and his carriagesand new horses-and liveries! How proud mamma expressed herself of such a daughter! and how I, as in duty bound, gave her the credit of it all, as my instructress first, and afterwards my ally!

'I wonder they don't come back, Emily, my love-why they have been gone a whole hour and a half!'-as she spoke, papa re-appeared -alone. 'Well,' said mamma,' well; what have you done with Mr. W.? --of course you told him how flattered we all felt!'-'Flattered?' rejoined papa, I don't see anything so very flattering in it, my dear,' -No my dear! from a man of his consequence? why, you must be raving mad my dear.'-' Well, my dear!' answered papa, in a deprecating tone, I dare say you know best; only on Emily's account I thought

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'What on earth are you talking about, Mr. H. ? you are never very easi ly understood, my dear, but I protest I find you quite incomprehensible at present. Do you or do you not agree that Mr. W. would be a great match for any girl?'-' To be sure I do, my dear.'-Very well, my dear, then surely we are both agreed in thinking his proposal flattering? Of course, my dear, you are the best judge: only I feared you might not like it, that's all my dear-no harm done.'-' You really are enough to drive one frantic, Mr. H.! Will you have the kindness to tell me from the beginning what Mr. W. said to you this morning? '— To be sure, my dear: I can have no objection: only don't hurry me so, as I may forget. First, he began by expressing the greatest regard for me and my family: and he said, my dear, that you were a superior woman, and Emily a charming girl.'-Good beginning, isn't it, Emily, my love?' I nodded. 'Well, my dear go on!'-'Yes, my dear, but I don't recollect where I was. That I was a superior woman, my dear. ''Oh, aye; and what next?-yes; that he was very peculiarly situated; that he looked on it as a most fortunate circumstance having met my family; and that, from the great kindness we had shown him, he was induced to ask a favor of me. Well that was putting the thing very handsomely, I must say what, Emily?' I nodded again. 'Now my dear, to get on a little faster, will you?'-'I am, my dear, getting on as fast as I can. Then he talked a long while about women being hard upon one another. But,' says he 'I'm sure Mrs. H. does not not think in that way; indeed, she told me as much herself; and then, my dear, he said you said you could countenance a woman who had been talked of about a man before being married to him-did you say so, my dear?''Tush to be sure I did, because I know he has the character of being a little dissipated, and if he thought he married into a family that took such things quietly, he would have less hesitation about us.'-' Oh, well; I suppose that was what put it into his head my dear. Put what into his head?'-To ask you my dear to visit his wife. - Visit his what?'-' His wife, my dear.'

Mamma's and my consternation may be imagined. The man after whom we had travelled hundreds of miles, and spent hundreds of pounds in chase of, neglecting, for him, all other chances that man was married!-and to his mistress, too!-We soon bid adieu to scenes fraught with recollections of failure and mortification, and returned to spend a triste winter in the tiresome old mansion in Nottinghamshire. But although mamma has experienced one check in her hitherto brilliant career, she is too good a general to feel utterly discomfited: and we propose taking the field again, early in spring, to seek, find, and keep, the next time, what we sought, and found, 'tis true, but also-lost, the last time.

Unto

AN ADVENTURE.

Mr. Leitch Ritchie, of London,
These,

DEAR SIR,-I duly acknowledge receipt of the half-crown, and of a copy of the Athenæum literary paper, which has been regularly sent me ever since. The title of this work is even as a sweet savor to the scholar, recalling literary glories of the city of Cecrops, and associated with the names of the Cilician philosopher, and of him who is surnamed Naucratila, the author of the learned treatise De Deipnosophistis. Nevertheless, I am concerned to find that the editor is altogether neglectful of the ideas which no doubt suggest themselves every time he casts his eye upon the paper; and it is for the purpose of putting him in mind of his duty, and of showing him how to combine recreation with instruction, that I send, for the amusement of the readers of the Athenæum, the inclosed Dissertation on the Greek Particles. It will not fill more than half a number, or at most two thirds, and I demand for it ten shillings and sixpence; but, lest the conductors of a fourpenny paper should be startled by such a price, I inclose a brief narrative as before, which I hope you will think worth half-a-crown of the money.

As for your charge of pedantry, it is as unfounded as the expression used by Scaliger to denote a pedant-grammaticaster-is low and base Latin. However, I ought rather to pity your ignorance than upbraid your presumption, convinced as I am that the editor of a paper with so Attic a name as the Athenæum will perceive at a glance that I am more grammaticus than grammatista. P. P.

The Answer.

DEAR SIR,-I regret to have to communicate to you an afflicting calamity, which has befallen your Dissertation on the Greek Particles. One evening while enjoying its perusal, I was seized with an unaccountable drowsiness, and before I had reached the third page fell fast asleep. I dreamed that I was under the hands and birch of a remorseless pedagogue, and writhed and started so emphatically, that the candle was overturned and set fire to the precious manuscript which burned, like the diamond, without leaving a residue, so that there is not one particle extant of your Greek Particles!

This, however, was no fault of yours, and I send you the money demanded; but as the sum is a serious loss to a poor devil of an author like myself, I hope you will speedily fall in with a third adventure and make some allowance in your charge. L. R.

THE ADVENTURE.

WHEN the flames of the burning of Bristol were extinguished, the turmoil of the city gradually subsided, and silence reigned, co-heir with desolation. The

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