If I leave this manuscript open on my table, I have not the slightest doubt Betty will read it, and they will talk it over in the lower regions to-night; and to-morrow she will bring in my breakfast with a face of such entire imperturbable innocence, that no mortal could suppose her guilty of playing the spy. If you and the captain have high words upon any subject, which is just possible, the circumstances of the quarrel, and the characters of both of you, will be discussed with impartial eloquence over the kitchen tea-table; and if Mrs. Smith's maid should by chance be taking a dish of tea with yours, her presence will not undoubtedly act as a restraint upon the discussion in question; her opinion will be given with candor; and the next day her mistress will probably know that Captain and Mrs. Jones have been a-quarreling as usual. Nothing is secret. Take it as a rule that John knows every thing and as in our humble world so in the greatest: a duke is no more a hero to his valet-de-chambré than you or I; and his grace's man at his club, in company doubtless with other men of equal social rank, talks over his master's character and affairs with the ingenuous truthfulness which befits gentlemen who are met together in confidence. Who is a niggard and screws up his money-boxes: who is in the hands of the money-lenders, and is putting his noble name on the back of bills of exchange who is intimate with whose wife who wants whom to marry her daughter, and which he won't, no not at any price: all these facts gentlemen's confidential gentlemen discuss confidentially, and are known and examined by every person who has any claim to rank in genteel society. In a word, if old Pendennis himself was said to know every thing, and was at once admirably scandalous and delightfully discreet, it is but justice to Morgan to say, that a great deal of his master's information was supplied to that worthy man by his valet, who went out and foraged knowledge for him. Indeed, what more effectual plan is there to get a knowledge of London society, than to begin at the foundation-that is, at the kitchen floor?

So Mr. Morgan and his employer conversed as the latter's toilet proceeded. There had been a drawing-room on the day previous, and the major read among the presentations that of Lady Clavering by Lady Rockminster, and of Miss Amory by her mother Lady Clavering; and in a further part of the paper their dresses were described, with a precision and in a jargon which will puzzle and amuse the antiquary of future generations. The sight of these names carried Pendennis back to the country.

"How long have the Claverings been in London?" he asked: “pray, Morgan, have you seen any of their people?"

"Sir Francis have sent away his foring man, sir," Mr. Morgan replied; " and have took a friend of mine as own man, sir. Indeed, he applied on my reckmendation. You may recklect Towler, sir-tall, red-aired man-but dyes his air. Was groom of the chambers in Lord Levant's famly, till his lordship broke hup. It's a fall for Towler, sir; but pore men can't be particklar," said the valet, with a pathetic

"Devilish hard on Towler, by gad!" said the major, amused, " and not pleasant for Lord Levant-he, he!"

66

It was

Always knew it was coming, sir. I spoke to you of it Michaelmas was four years: when her ladyship put the diamonds in pawn. Towler, sir, took 'em in two cabs to Dobree's; and a good deal of the plate went the same way. Don't you remember seeing of it at Blackwall, with the Levant arms and coronick, and Lord Levant settn oppsit to it at the Marquis of Steyne's dinner? Beg your pardon; did I cut you, sir ?"

66

Morgan was now operating upon the major's chin; he continued the theme while stropping the skillful razor. They've took a house in Grosvenor-place, and are coming out strong, sir. Her ladyship's going to give three parties, besides a dinner a week, sir. Her fortune won't stand it can't stand it."

66

Gad, she had a devilish good cook when I was at Fairoaks," the major said, with very little compassion for the widow Amory's fortune. Mirobblan was his name, sir; Mirobblan's gone away, sir," Morgan said; and the major, this time, with hearty sympathy said, "he was devilish sorry to lose him."

"There's been a tremenjuous row about that Mosseer Mirobblan," Morgan continued. "At a ball at Baymouth, sir, bless his impadence, he challenged Mr. Harthur to fight a jewel, sir, which Mr. Harthur was very near knocking him down, and pitchin' him out awinder, and serve him right; but Chevalier Strong, sir, came up and stopped the shindy-I beg pardon, the holtercation, sir-them French cooks has as much pride and hinsolence as if they was real gentlemen."

"I heard something of that quarrel," said the major; "but Mirobolant was not turned off for that?"

66

No, sir; that affair, sir, Mr. Harthur forgave it him, and beaved most handsome, was hushed hup: it was about Miss Hamory, sir, that he ad his dismissal. Those French fellers, they fancy every body is in love with 'em; and he climbed up the large grape vine to her winder, sir, and was a trying to get in, when he was caught, sir; and Mr. Strong came out, and they got the garden-engine and played on him, and there was no end of a row, sir."

"Confound his impudence! You don't mean to say Miss Amory encouraged him," cried the major, amazed at a peculiar expression in Mr. Morgan's countenance.

Morgan resumed his imperturbable demeanor. "Know nothing about it, sir. Servants don't know them kind of things the least. Most probbly there was nothing in it—so many lies is told about families— Marobblan went away, bag and baggage, saucepans, and piano, and all-the feller ad a pianna, and wrote potry in French, and he took a lodging at Clavering, and he hankered about the primises, and it was said that Madam Fribsby, the milliner, brought letters to Miss Hamory, though I don't believe a word about it; nor that he tried to pison hisself with charcoal, which it was all a humbug betwigst him and Madam Fribsby; and he was nearly shot by the keeper in the park."

In the course of that very day, it chanced that the major had stationed himself in the great window of Bays's Club, in St. James'sstreet, at the hour in the afternoon when you see a half score of respectable old bucks similarly recreating themselves (Bays's is rather an old-fashioned place of resort now, and many of its members more than middle-aged; but in the time of the prince regent, these old fellows

and spied his nephew Arthur walking down the street in company with his friend Mr. Popjoy.

"Look!" said Popjoy to Pen, as they passed, "did you ever pass Bays's at four o'clock, without seeing that collection of old fogies? It's a regular museum. They ought to be cast in wax, and set up at Madame Tussaud's-"

"In a chamber of old horrors by themselves," Pen said, laughing. "In the chamber of horrors! Gad, doosid good!" Pop cried. They are old rogues, most of 'em, and no mistake. There's old Blondel; there's my Uncle Colchicum, the most confounded old sinner in Europe; there's-hullo! there's somebody rapping the window, and nodding at us."

"It's my uncle, the major," said Pen. "Is he an old sinner,

too ?"

"Notorious old rogue," Pop said, wagging his head. ("Notowious old wogue," he pronounced the words, thereby rendering them much more emphatic.) "He's beckoning you in; he wants to speak to you."

"Come in too," Pen said.

—Can't,” replied the other. "Cut uncle Col. two years ago, about Mademoiselle Frangipane-Ta, ta," and the young sinner took leave of Pen, and the club of the elder criminals, and sauntered into Blacquiere's, an adjacent establishment, frequented by reprobates of his own age.

Colchicum, Blondel, and the senior bucks had just been conversing about the Clavering family, whose appearance in London had formed the subject of Major Pendennis's morning conversation with his valet. Mr. Blondel's house was next to that of Sir Francis Clavering, in Grosvenor-place: giving very good dinners himself, he had remarked some activity in his neighbor's kitchen. Sir Francis, indeed, had a new chef, who had come in more than once, and dressed Mr. Blondel's dinner for him; that gentleman having only a remarkably expert female artist permanently engaged in his establishment, and employing such chiefs of note as happened to be free on the occasion of his grand banquets. They go to a devilish expense and see devilish bad company as yet, I hear," Mr. Blondel said; they scour the streets, by gad, to get people to dine with 'em. Champignon says it breaks his heart to serve up a dinner to their society. What a shame it is that those low people should have money at all," cried Mr. Blondel, whose grandfather had been a reputable leather-breeches maker, and whose father had lent money to the princes.

"I wish I had fallen in with the widow myself," sighed Lord Colchicum, "and not been laid up with that confounded gout at Leghorn. I would have married the woman myself. I'm told she has six hundred thousand pounds in the Threes."

"Not quite so much as that. I knew her family in India," Major Pendennis said. "I knew her family in India; her father was an enormously rich old indigo-planter; know all about her: Clavering has

the next estate to ours in the country. Ha! there's my nephew walking with-"

"With mine: the infernal young scamp!" said Lord Colchicum, glowering at Popjoy out of his heavy eyebrows; and he turned away from the window as Major Pendennis tapped upon it.

The major was in high good-humor. The sun was bright, the air brisk and invigorating. He had determined upon a visit to Lady Clavering on that day, and bethought him that Arthur would be a good companion for the walk across the Green Park to her ladyship's door. Master Pen was not displeased to accompany his illustrious relative, who pointed out a dozen great men in their brief transit through St. James's-street, and got bows from a duke, at a crossing, a bishop (on a cob), and a cabinet minister with an umbrella. The duke gave the elder Pendennis the finger of a pipe-clayed glove to shake, which the major embraced with great veneration; and all Pen's blood tingled, as he found himself in actual communication, as it were, with this famous man (for Pen had possession of the major's left arm, while that gentleman's other wing was engaged with his grace's right), and he wished all Gray Friar's School, all Oxbridge University, all Paternoster Row and the temple, and Laura and his mother at Fairoaks, could be standing on each side of the street, to see the meeting between him and his uncle and the most famous duke in Christendom.

"How do, Pendennis? fine day," were his grace's remarkable words, and with a nod of his august head he passed on-in a blue frock coat and spotless white duck trowsers, in a white stock, with a shining buckle behind.

Old Pendennis, whose likeness to his grace has been remarked, began to imitate him unconsciously, after they had parted, speaking with curt sentences, after the manner of the great man. We have all of us, no doubt, met with more than one military officer who has so imitated the manner of a certain great captain of the age; and has, perhaps, changed his own natural character and disposition, because Fate had endowed him with an aquiline nose. In like manner have we not seen many another man pride himself on having a tall forehead and a supposed likeness to Mr. Canning? many another go through life swelling with self-gratification on account of an imagined resemblance (we say "imagined," because that any body should be really like that most beautiful and perfect of men is impossible) to the great and revered George IV.: many third parties, who wore low necks to their dresses because they fancied that Lord Byron and themselves were similar in appearance: and has not the grave closed lately upon poor Tom Bickerstaff, who having no more imagination than Mr. Joseph Hume, looked in the glass and fancied himself like Shakspeare? shaved his forehead so as farther to resemble the immortal bard, wrote tragedies incessantly, and died perfectly crazy-actually perished of his forehead! These or similar freaks of vanity most people who have frequented the world must have seen in their experience. Pen laughed in his roguish sleeve at the manner in which his uncle began to imitate the great man from whom they