"And so she is, miss," quoth the Grinder, with some feeling.

"Very well, Robin," said Miss Tox, "I am glad to hear you say so. Now, Robin, as I am going to give you a trial, at your urgent request, as my domestic, with a view to your restoration to respectability, I will take this impressive occasion of remarking that I hope that you will never forget that you have, and have always had, a good mother, and that you will endeavor so to conduct yourself as to be a comfort to her."

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"Upon my soul I will, miss," returned the Grinder. "I have come through a good deal, and my intentions is now as straightfor'ard, miss, as a cove's

"

"I must get you to break yourself of that word, Robin, if you please," interposed Miss Tox, politely. "If you please, miss, as a chap's-"

"Thankee, Robin, no," returned Miss Tox. "I should prefer individual."

"As a indiwiddle's," said the Grinder.

"Much better," remarked Miss Tox, complacently; "infinitely more expressive!"

"-can be," pursued Rob. "If I hadn't been and got made a Grinder on, miss and mother, which was a most unfortunate circumstance for a young co-indiwiddle." "Very good indeed," observed Miss Tox, approvingly. "-and if I hadn't been led away by birds, and then fallen into a bad service," said the Grinder, "I hope I might have done better. But it's never too late for a—” "Indi-" suggested Miss Tox.

"widdle," said the Grinder, "to mend; and I hope to mend, miss, with your kind trial; and wishing, mother, my love to father, and brothers and sisters, and saying of it."

"I am very glad indeed to hear it," observed Miss Tox. "Will you take a little bread and butter, and a cup of tea, before we go, Robin?"

Thankee, miss," returned the Grinder; who immediately began to use his own personal grinders in a most remarkable manner, as if he had been on very short allowance for a considerable period.

Miss Tox being, in good time, bonneted and shawled, and Polly too, Rob hugged his mother, and followed his new mistress away; so much to the hopeful admiration of Polly, that something in her eyes made luminous

rings round the gas-lamps as she looked after him. Polly then put out her light, locked the house-door, delivered the key at an agent's hard by, and went home as fast as she could go; rejoicing in the shrill delight that The her unexpected arrival would occasion there. great house, dumb as to all that had been suffered in it, and the changes it had witnessed, stood frowning like a dark mute on the street; balking any nearer inquiries with the staring announcement that the lease of this desirable Family Mansion was to be disposed of.

CHAPTER XXX.

CHIEFLY MATRIMONIAL.

THE grand half-yearly festival holden by Doctor and Mrs. Blimber, on which occasion they requested the pleasure of the company of every young gentleman pursuing his studies in that genteel establishment, at an early party, when the hour was half-past seven o'clock, and when the object was quadrilles, had duly taken place, about this time; and the young gentlemen, with no unbecoming demonstrations of levity, had betaken themselves, in a state of scholastic repletion, to their own homes. Mr. Skettles had repaired abroad, permanently to grace the establishment of his father Sir Barnet Skettles, whose popular manners had obtained him a diplomatic appointment, the honors of which were discharged by himself and Lady Skettles, to the satisfaction even of their own countrymen and countrywhich was considered almost miraculous. Mr. Tozer, now a young man of lofty stature, in Wellington boots, was so extremely full of antiquity as to be nearly on a par with a genuine ancient Roman in his knowledge of English: a triumph that affected his good parents with the tenderest emotions, and caused the father and mother of Mr. Briggs (whose learning, like illarranged luggage, was so tightly packed that he couldn't get at anything he wanted) to hide their diminished heads. The fruit laboriously gathered from

women:

the tree of knowledge by this latter young gentleman, in fact, had been subjected to so much pressure, that it had become a kind of intellectual Norfolk Biffin, and had nothing of its original form or flavor remaining. Master Bitherstone now, on whom the forcing system had the happier and not uncommon effect of leaving no impression whatever, when the forcing apparatus ceased to work, was in a much more comfortable plight; and being then on shipboard, bound for Bengal, found himself forgetting, with such admirable rapidity, that it was doubtful whether his declensions of noun-substantives would hold out to the end of the voyage.

When Doctor Blimber, in pursuance of the usual course, would have said to the young gentlemen, on the morning of the party, "Gentlemen, we will resume our studies on the twenty-fifth of next month," he departed from the usual course, and said, "Gentlemen, when our friend Cincinnatus retired to his farm, he did not present to the senate any Roman whom he sought to nominate as his successor. But there is a Roman here," said Doctor Blimber, laying his hand on the shoulder of Mr. Feeder, B. A., "adolescens imprimis gravis et doctus, gentlemen, whom I, a retiring Cincinnatus, wish to present to my little senate as their future Dictator. Gentlemen, we will resume our studies on the twenty-fifth of next month, under the auspices of Mr. Feeder, B. A." this (which Doctor Blimber had previously called upon all the parents, and urbanely explained), the young gentlemen cheered; and Mr. Tozer, on behalf of the rest, instantly presented the doctor with a silver inkstand, in a speech containing very little of the mothertongue, but fifteen quotations from the Latin, and seven from the Greek, which moved the younger of the young gentlemen to discontent and envy; they remarking, Oh, ah! It was all very well for old Tozer, but they didn't subscribe money for old Tozer to show off with, they supposed; did they? What business was it of old Tozer's more than anybody else's? It wasn't his inkstand. Why couldn't he leave the boys' property alone? and murmuring other expressions of their dissatisfaction, which seemed to find a greater relief in calling him old Tozer than in any other available vent.

Not a word had been said to the young gentlemen, nor a hint dropped, of anything like a contemplated

marriage between Mr. Feeder, B. A., and the fair Cornelia Blimber. Doctor Blimber, especially, seemed to take pains to look as if nothing would surprise him more; but it was perfectly well known to all the young gentlemen nevertheless, and when they departed for the society of their relations and friends, they took leave of Mr. Feeder with awe.

Mr. Feeder's most romantic visions were fulfilled. The doctor had determined to paint the house outside, and put it in thorough repair; and to give up the business, and to give up Cornelia. The painting and repairing began upon the very day of the young gentlemen's departure, and now behold! the wedding morning was come, and Cornelia, in a new pair of spectacles, was waiting to be led to the hymeneal altar.

The doctor with his learned legs, and Mrs. Blimber in a lilac bonnet, and Mr. Feeder, B. A., with his long knuckles and his bristly head of hair, and Mr. Feeder's brother, the Reverend Alfred Feeder, M. A., who was to perform the ceremony, were all assembled in the drawing-room, and Cornelia with her orange-flowers and bridesmaids had just come down, and looked, as of old, a little squeezed in appearance, but very charming, when the door opened, and the weak-eyed young man, in a loud voice, made the following proclamation: "MR. AND MRS. TOOTS!"

Upon which there entered Mr. Toots, grown extremely stout, and on his arm a lady very handsomely and becomingly dressed, with very bright black eyes.

"Mrs. Blimber," said Mr. Toots, "allow me to present my wife."

Mrs.

Mrs. Blimber was delighted to receive her. Blimber was a little condescending, but extremely kind.

"And as you've known me for a long time, you know,” said Mr. Toots, "let me assure you that she is one of the most remarkable women that ever lived.”

"My dear!" remonstrated Mrs. Toots.

Upon my word and honor she is," said Mr. Toots. "I-I assure you, Mrs. Blimber, she's a most extraordinary woman."

Mrs. Toots laughed merrily, and Mrs. Blimber led her to Cornelia. Mr. Toots having paid his respects in that direction, and having salted his old preceptor, who

said, in allusion to his conjugal state, "Well Toots, well Toots! So you are one of us, are you, Toots?"retired with Mr. Feeder, B. A., into a window.

Mr. Feeder, B. A., being in great spirits, made a spar at Mr. Toots, and tapped him skilfully with the back of his hand on the breast-bone.

Well, old Buck!" said Mr. Feeder with a laugh. "Well! Here we are! Taken in and done for. Eh? "Feeder," returned Mr. Toots. "I give you joy. If you're as-as-as perfectly blissful in a matrimonial life as I am myself, you'll have nothing to desire."

"I don't forget my old friends, you see," said Mr. Feeder. "I ask 'em to my wedding, Toots,"

"Feeder," replied Mr. Toots, gravely, "the fact is. that there were several circumstances which prevented me from communicating with you until after my marriage had been solemnised. In the first place, I had made a perfect brute of myself to you on the subject of Miss Dombey; and I felt that if you were asked to any wedding of mine you would naturally expect that it was with Miss Dombey, which involved explanations, that upon my word and honor, at that crisis, would have knocked me completely over. In the second place, our wedding was strictly private; there being nobody present but one friend of myself and Mrs. Toots's, who is a captain in-I don't exactly know in what," said Mr. Toots, "but it's of no consequence. I hope, Feeder. that in writing a statement of what had occurred before Mrs. Toots and myself went abroad upon our foreign tour, I fully discharged the offices of friendship.'

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Toots," my boy," said Mr. Feeder, shaking hands, "I was joking.'

"And now, Feeder," said Mr. Toots, "I should be glad to know what you think of my union."

"Capital!" returned Mr. Feeder.

"You think it's capital, do you, Feeder?" said Mr. Toots, solemnly. "Then how capital it must be to Me. For you can never know what an extraordinary woman that is."

Mr. Feeder was willing to take it for granted. But Mr. Toots shook his head and wouldn't hear of that being possible.

"You see," said Mr. Toots," what I wanted in a wife