of your darling sparks. I'll have you up to Guildhall this very day to explain how you disposed of the old man's clothes; o may stick at it with me, but the sheriff, yes, sir, the sheriff will make you speak; and I'll put you to your oath, and if you perjure yourself, remember, sir, remember, the place for all such fellows!"

"Hear me, Mr. Rhubarb, hear me before you go; and I'll tell you the whole truth."

Gaiter, whose cunning was not of a piece with his willingness to oblige his customers, told the truth, and nothing but the truth; and the apothecary went directly to the admiral's, and related totidem verbis what he had learned of this mysterious affair.

The admiral was confounded and enraged; but as he had now over the lieutenant little control, the only thing

he could do, was to refer his conduct to the first lord of the admiralty; his daughter however he could and would control, and Miss Springfield was to see nobody for the admiral could not tell how long.

The apothecary left the house greatly pleased at his good luck, and on it grounded, by the admiral's promise of the sincerest friendship, the hopes of a more enlarged connection, and that too in the first circles; but the doctor, who had now called, was not so very flexible as his mechanic Rhubarb, and determined to bring the admiral to his own way of thinking.

The doctor expatiated very largely on "the necessity of the admiral not changing his line of conduct toward Miss Caroline; and set forth, in the most glaring colours, as well from anecdote, as from theory, the propriety of allowing children (he meant

yonng persons) to have the fullest and freest latitude given them in their choice of life, when that choice seemed not to contravene the rules of the Christian religion, which, of course, he insisted upon it, did not make such a disparity between riches and poverty as people generally imagined.

"Indeed he thought Providence, for the wisest reasons, often permitted connections to be formed between very differently situated parties, as well for grand lessons of moral instruction to the world, as for evincing what man could not alter, the plain but homely and obvious saying, that marriages are made in heaven.'

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The admiral, who paid great rever ence to every lecture of a religious turn, sat in profound silence till Dr. Marshall had done; then he enquired what the doctor had learned at Stuart's.

"Learned! he had learned much!

he had learned that Lieutenant Stuart had the very greatest respect for his admiral; therefore, I conclude, sir, the lieutenant will never do by yourself or Miss Springfield, an action of which a British officer would stand ashamed." "There I think you are in the right, doctor."

"But, sir, I learned, secondly, that either you must send Miss Springfieldfrom town for a short time, or this youth may win her affections, and-" "What! Caroline won't marry him, I hope ?"

"The case is very precarious, admiral; you cannot open your mouth to the young lady on this subject, but at a great risk; recollect the many instances on record, of pertinacious interference in affairs of this kind."

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Well, well, doctor, I believe you: are right; but my dear child! what shall I do with her?"

"Do! sir?-Will you allow me one

favour I've to beg: my daughter and yours were at school together, they are. still very intimate young friends; now do, pray do, let Miss Springfield come over to our house in Golden-square, and her spirits will be recruited by the change of company she shall meet with there; and in the afternoon she may return home; but nothing will so much contribute to her speedy and permanent recovery from this perturbation, as a change of this kind."

"You are very good, doctor; and I'll leave it entirely with you and Miss Caroline to decide."

"There's no fear of the result, sir." The admiral rings the bell; Miss Caroline was requested to come to the drawing-room; and the admiral left her and the doctor together, to settle and arrange about her visit to Miss Marshall-that is, her interview with Charles.