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That illustrious reat national ornaan to be widely understood that one who had

done society the ad so much money out of it,

could not be suffered to remain a coe was frequently olden face against a baronetcy; that he had

plainly intih

for hie, or plain Merdle'

This was reported to have plunged Lord Decih of doubts as so lofty a person could be sunk For the Barnacles,

as a group of themselves in creation, had an idea that such distinctions

belonged to them; and that when a soldier, sailor, or lawyer became

ennobled, they let him in, as it were, by an act of condescension, at

the faain Not only (said Rumour)

had the troubled Decimus his own hereditary part in this impression, but

he also knew of several Barnacle claims already on the file, which caht or wrong, Rumour was very busy; and Lord Deciitation of the difficulty, lent her

so, on several public occasions, one of those

elephantine trots of his through a jungle of overgrown sentences, waving

Mr Merdle about on his trunk as Gigantic Enterprise, The Wealth of

England, Elasticity, Credit, Capital, Prosperity, and allof the old scythe go on, that fully three

lish brothers had been laid

in one toers' cemetery at Rome Mr and Mrs Sparkler were

established in their own house: a little mansion, rather of the Tite

Barnacle class, quite a triumph of inconvenience, with a perpetual smell

in it of the day before yesterday's soup and coach-horses, but extrelobe In this

enviable abode (and envied it really was by many people), Mrs Sparkler

had intended to proceed at once to the demolition of the Bosom, when

active hostilities had been suspended by the arrival of the Courier with

his tidings of death

Mrs Sparkler, as not unfeeling, had received

therief, which had lasted twelve hours;

after which, she had arisen to see about her , and to take every

precaution that could ensure its being as becoloouished faence), and the Courier went back

again

Mr and Mrs Sparkler had been dining alone, with their gloo-roo The residence in the centre of the habitable

globe, at all times stuffed and close as if it had an incurable cold in

its head, was that evening particularly stifling

The bells of the churches had done their worst in the way of clanging

ahted s of

the churches had ceased to be yellow in the grey dusk, and had died out

opaque black Mrs Sparkler, lying on her sofa, looking through an open

at the opposite side of a narrow street over boxes of nonette

and flowers, was tired of the view Mrs Sparkler, looking at another

here her husband stood in the balcony, was tired of that view

Mrs Sparkler, looking at herself in her h, naturally, not so tired of that as of the other two

'It's like lying in a well,' said Mrs Sparkler, changing her position

fretfully 'Dearto say, why don't you

say it?'

Mr Sparkler enuousness, 'My life, I have

nothing to say' But, as the repartee did not occur to hi in fro at the side of his

wife's couch

'Good gracious, Edmund!' said Mrs Sparkler nonette up your nose! Pray don't!'

Mr Sparkler, in absence of mind--perhaps in a more literal absence of

mind than is usually understood by the phrase--had se of the offence in question He

smiled, said, 'I ask your pardon, my dear,' and threw it out of

'Youin that position, Ed her eyes to hie by this light Do sit down'

'Certainly, my dear,' said Mr Sparkler, and took a chair on the saest day was past,' said Fanny, yawning in

a dreary est day I

never did experience such a day'

'Is that your fan,it

'Edmund,' returned his wife, more wearily yet, 'don't ask weak

questions, I entreat you not Whose can it be but ht it was yours,' said Mr Sparkler

'Then you shouldn't ask,' retorted Fanny After a little while she

turned on her sofa and exclai day as this!' After another little while, she got up slowly,

walked about, and ca with an original conception, 'I

think you ets!' repeated Mrs Sparkler 'Don't'

'My adorable girl,' urged Mr Sparkler, 'try your aroar I

have often seen ly refreshed her

And she is, as I believe you are aware, a remarkably fine woman, with no

non--'

'Good Gracious!' exclaiain 'It's beyond all

patience! This is the most wearisome day that ever did dawn upon the

world, I aed about the roohtened When she had tossed a few trifles

about, and had looked down into the darkening street out of all the

three s, she returned to her sofa, and threw herself a its

pillows

'Now Edmund, come here! Come a little nearer, because I want to be able

to touch you with oing to say That will do Quite close enough Oh, you do look so

big!'

Mr Sparkler apologised for the circumstance, pleaded that he couldn't

help it, and said that 'our felloithoutwhose fellows, used to call hi Man Mountain

'You ought to have told me so before,' Fanny coratified, 'I didn't know

It would interest you, or I would have oodness sake, don't talk,' said Fanny; 'I want to talk,

myself Edmund, we must not be alone anyever again reduced to the state of

dreadful depression in which I a as you are well known to be, a

reood GRACIOUS!' cried Fanny

Mr Sparkler was so discoy of this excla up froain, that ain explanation:

'I mean, my dear, that everybody knows you are calculated to shine in

society'

'Calculated to shine in society,' retorted Fanny with great

irritability; 'yes, indeed! And then what happens? I no sooner recover,

in a visiting point of view, the shock of poor dear papa's death, and uise from myself that the last was

a happy release, for, if you are not presentable you hadto me, my love, I hope?' Mr Sparkler humbly

interrupted

'Edmund, Ed

of my poor uncle?'

'You looked with so irl,' said Mr

Sparkler, 'that I felt a little uncomfortable Thank you, my love'

'Now you have put ned toss of her

fan, 'and I had better go to bed'

'Don't do that, ood deal of ti back with her eyes shut, and her

eyebrows raised with a hopeless expression as if she had utterly given

up all terrestrial affairs At length, without the slightest notice, she

opened her eyes again, and recommenced in a short, sharp manner:

'What happens then, I ask! What happens? Why, I find ht shine most in society, and should most like for

very momentous reasons to shine in society--I find myself in a situation

which to a certain extent disqualifiesinto society It's

too bad, really!'

'My dear,' said Mr Sparkler 'I don't think it need keep you at

horeat

indignation; 'do you suppose that a woman in the bloom of youth and not

wholly devoid of personal attractions, can put herself, at such a

tiure with a woman in every other way her

inferior? If you do suppose such a thing, your folly is boundless'

Mr Sparkler subot over' 'Got

over!' repeated Fanny, with immeasurable scorn

'For a tiestion with no notice, Mrs Sparkler

declared with bitterness that it really was too bad, and that positively

it was enough to make one wish one was dead!

'However,' she said, when she had in soe; 'provoking as it is, and cruel as it seems,

I suppose it must be submitted to'

'Especially as it was to be expected,' said Mr Sparkler

'Ed to do

than to attempt to insult the woman who has honoured you with her hand,

when she finds herself in adversity, I think YOU had better go to bed!'

Mr Sparkler was e, and offered a y was accepted; but Mrs Sparkler

requested hio round to the other side of the sofa and sit in the

-curtain, to tone hi out her fan, and touching hi to say to you when you began as

usual to prose and worry, is, that I shall guard against our being alone

anyout to e to have some people or other always here;

for I really cannot, and will not, have another such day as this has

been'

Mr Sparkler's sentiments as to the plan were, in brief, that it had no

nonsense about it He added, 'And besides, you know it's likely that

you'll soon have your sister--'

'Dearest Ah of affection

'Darling little thing! Not, however, that A to say 'No?' interrogatively, but he saw his

danger and said it assentingly, 'No, Oh dear no; she wouldn't do here

alone'

'No, Edmund For not only are the virtues of the precious child of that

still character that they require a contrast--require life and ht colours and s; but she will require to be roused, on more accounts

than one'

'That's it,' said Mr Sparkler 'Roused'

'Pray don't, Ed the least

thing in the world to say, distracts one Youof Amy;--my poor little pet was devotedly attached to poor