"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 solemnized. 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 explana tions, 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."

"Toots, my boy," said Mr. Feeder, shaking his 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 must it be to Me.

6.

never know what an extraordinary woman that is."

For you can

But Mr.

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

"You see," said Mr. Toots, "what I wanted in a wife was -in short, was sense. Money, Feeder, I had. Sense I-I had not, particularly."

"Mr. Feeder murmured, "Oh, yes, you had, Toots!" But Mr. Toots said:

"No, Feeder, I had not. Why should I disguise it? I had not I knew that sense was There," said Mr. Toots, stretching out his hand towards his wife. "in Perfect heaps. I had no relation to object or be offended on the score of station, for I had no relation I have never had anybody belonging to me but my guardian, and him, Feeder, I have always considered as

a Pirate and a Corsair. Therefore, you know it was not likely," said Mr. Toots, "that I should take his opinion."

"No," said Mr. Feeder.

"Accordingly," resumed Mr. Toots, 'I acted on my own. Bright was the day on which I did so! Feeder! Nobody but myself can tell what the capacity of that woman's mind is. If ever the Rights of Women, and all that kind of thing, are properly attended to, it will be through her powerful intellect -Susan, my dear!" said Mr. Toots, looking abruptly out of the window curtains, "pray do not exert yourself!

"My dear," said Mrs. Toots, "I was only talking.'

"But my love," said Mr. Toots, "pray do not exert yourself. You really must be careful. Do not, my dear Susan, exert yourself. She's so easily excited," said Mr. Toots, apart to Mrs. Blimber, "and then she forgets the medical man altogether."

Mrs. Blimber was impressing on Mrs. Toots the necessity of caution, when Mr. Feeder, BA, offered her his arm, and led her down to the carriages that were in waiting to go to church. Doctor Blimber escorted Mrs. Toots. Mr. Toots escorted the fair bride, around whose lambent spectacles two gauzy little bridesmaids fluttered like moths. Mr. Feeder's brother, Mr Alfred Feeder, M.A., had already gone on, in advance, to as sume his official functions

The ceremony was performed in an admirable manner Cornelia, with her crisp little curls, "went in," as the Chicken might have said, with great composure; and Doctor Blimbe. gave her away, like a man who had quite made up his mind to it. The gauzy little bridesmaids appeared to suffer most. Mrs Blimber was affected, but gently so; and told the Reverenc Mr. Alfred Feeder, M.A, on the way home, that if she could only have seen Cicero in his retirement at Tusculum, she would not have had a wish, now, ungratified.

There was a breakfast afterwards, limited to the same small party; at which the spirits of Mr. Feeder, B.A., were tremendous, and so communicated themselves to Mrs. Toots that Mr. Toots was several times heard to observe, across the table, My dear Susan, don't exert yourself!" The best of it was, that Mr. Toots felt it incumbent on him to make a speech; and in spite of a whole code of telegraphic dissuasions from Mrs. Toots, appeared on his legs for the first time in his life.

"I really," said Mr. Toots, "in this house, where whatever was done to me in the way of-of any mental confusion sometimes-which is of no consequence and I impute to nobody

was always treated like one of Doctor Blimber's family, and had a desk to myself for a considerable period-can-not— allow-my friend Feeder to be-"

Mrs. Toots suggested "married."

"It may not be inappropriate to the occasion, or altogether uninteresting," said Mr. Toots with a delighted face, "to observe that my wife is a most extraordinary woman, and would do this much better that myself-allow my friend Feeder to be married-especially to-"

Mrs. Toots suggested "to Miss Blimber."

"To Mrs. Feeder, my love!" said Mr. Toots, in a subdued tone of private discussion; "whom God hath joined,' you know, 'let no man'-don't you know? I cannot allow my friend, Feeder, to be married-especially to Mrs. Feederwithout proposing their-their-Toasts; and may," said Mr. Toots, fixing his eyes on his wife, as if for inspiration in a high flight, "may the torch of Hymen be the beacon of joy, and may the flowers we have this day strewed in their path, be the the banishers of-of gloom!"

Doctor Blimber, who had a taste for metaphor, was pleased with this, and said, "Very good, Toots! Very well said, indeed, Toots!" and nodded his head and patted his hands. Mr. Feeder made, in reply, a comic speech chequered with sentiment. Mr. Alfred Feeder, M. A., was afterwards very happy on Doctor and Mrs. Blimber; Mr. Feeder, B. A., scarcely less so, on the gauzy little bridesmaids. Doctor Blimber then, in a sonorous voice, delivered a few thoughts in the pastoral style, relative to the rushes among which it was the intention of himself and Mrs. Blimber to dwell, and the bee that would hum around their cot. Shortly after which, as the Doctor's eyes were twinkling in a remarkable manner, and his son-in-law had already observed that time was made for slaves, and had inquired whether Mrs. Toots sang, the discreet Mrs. Blimber dissolved the sitting, and sent Cornelia away, very cool and comfortable, in a post-chaise, with the man of her heart.

Mr. and Mrs. Toots withdrew to the Bedford (Mrs. Toots had been there before in old times, under her maiden name of Nipper), and there found a letter, which it took Mr. Toots such an enormous time to read, that Mrs. Toots was frightened.

"My dear Susan," said Mr. Toots, "fright is worse than exertion. Pray be calm! "

"Who is it from?" asked Mrs. Toots.

"Why, my love," said Mr. Toots, "it's from Captain Gills.

Do not excite yourself. Walters and Miss Dombey are ex pected home!"

"My dear." said Mrs. Toots, raising herself quickly from the sofa, very pale, "don't try to deceive me, for it's no use, they're come home-I see it plainly in your face!"

She's a most extraordinary woman!" exclaimed Mr. Toots, in rapturous admiration. "You're perfectly right, my love, they have come home. Miss Dombey has seen her father, and they are reconciled!"

"Reconciled!" cried Mrs Toots, clapping her hands.

"My dear," said Mr. Toots; "pray do not exert yourself. Do remember the medical man! Captain Gills says at least he don't say, but I imagine, from what I can make out, he means that Miss Dombey has brought her unfortunate father away from his old house, to one where she and Walters are living; that he is lying very ill there-supposed to be dying, and that she attends upon him night and day."

Mrs. Toots began to cry quite bitterly.

"My dearest Susan," replied Mr. Toots, "do, do, if you possibly can, remember the medical man! If you can't, it's of no consequence--but do endeavor to!"

His wife, with her old manner suddenly restored, so pathetically entreated him to take her to her precious pet, her little mistress, her own darling, and the like, that Mr. Toots, whose sympathy and admiration were of the strongest kind, consented from his very heart of hearts; and they agreed to depart immediately, and present themselves in answer to the Captain's letter.

Now some hidden sympathies of things, or some coinci dences, had that day brought the Captain himself (toward whom Mr. and Mrs. Toots were soon journeying), into the flowery train of wedlock; not as a principal, but as an accessory. It happened accidentally, and thus:

The Captain, having seen Florence and her baby for a moment, to his unbounded content, and having had a long talk with Walter, turned out for a walk; feeling it necessary to have some solitary meditation on the changes of human affairs, and to shake his glazed hat profoundly over the fall of Mr. Dombey, for whom the generosity and simplicity of his nature were awakened in a lively manner. The Captain would have been very low, indeed, on the unhappy gentleman's account, but for the recollection of the baby; which afforded him such intense satisfaction whenever it arose, that he laughed aloud as he went along the street, and, indeed, more than once, in a

sudden impulse of joy, threw up his glazed hat and caught it again; much to the amazement of the spectators. The rapid alternations of light and shade to which these two con flicting subjects of reflection exposed the Captain, were so very trying to his spirits, that he felt a long walk necessary to his composure; and as there is a great deal in the influence of harmonious associations, he chose, for the scene of his walk, his old neighborhood, down among the mast, oar, and blockmakers, ship-biscuit bakers, coal-whippers, pitch-kettles, sailors, canals, docks, swing-bridges, and other soothing objects.

These peaceful scenes, and particularly the region of Limehouse-Hole and thereabouts, were so influential in calming the Captam, that he walked on with restored tranquillity, and was, in fact, regaling himself, under his breath, with the ballad of Lovely Peg, when, on turning a corner, he was suddenly transfixed and rendered speechless by a triumphant procession that he beheld advancing towards him.

This awful demonstration was headed by that determined woman, Mrs. MacStinger, who, preserving a countenance of inexorable resolution, and wearing conspicuously attached to her obdurate bosom a stupendous watch and appendages, which the Captain recognized at a glance as the property of Bunsby, conducted under her arm no other than that sagacious mariner; he, with the distraught and melancholy visage of a captive borne into a foreign land, meekly resigning himself to her will. Behind them appeared the young MacStingers, in a body, exulting. Behind them, two ladies of a terrible and steadfast aspect, leading between them a short gentleman in a tall hat, who likewise exulted. In the wake, appeared Bunsby's boy, bearing umbrellas. The whole were in good marching order; and a dreadful smartness that pervaded the party would have sufficiently announced, if the intrepid countenances of the ladies had been wanting, that it was a procession of sacrifice, and that the victim was Bunsby.

The first impulse of the Captain was to run away. This also appeared to be the first impulse of Bunsby, hopeless as its execution must have proved. But a cry of recognition proceeding from the party, and Alexander MacStinger running up to the Captain with open arms, the Captain struck.

"Well, Cap'en Cuttle!" said Mrs. MacStinger. "This is indeed a meeting! I bear no malice now. Cap'en Cuttle-you needn't fear that I'm a going to cast any reflections. I hope to go to the altar in another spirit." Here Mrs. MacStinger paused, and drawing herself up, and inflating her bosom with