ut I was just trying to make out an old letter
pasted in the lid of your trunk, under my nose here. Is this the way
you preserve your family archives?"

{Milesian = slang term for Irish, from Milesius, mythical Spanish
conqueror of Ireland; Nawaub = from Nabob, Anglo-Indian slang for one
who has returned home from India with a large fortune}

"That letter is really a curiosity in its way," said the colonel,
turning from the glass and relating its history, so far at least as it
was known to himself.

His friend spelt it through.

"My dear fellow, why don't you give this letter to the father of your
fair Louisa; he's quite rabid on such points; you'll make him a friend
for life by it!"

The advice was followed. The letter was cut from its old position in
the lid of the trunk, and presented to Sir John Blank, the father of
the lovely Louisa, who, in his turn, soon placed the hand of his
daughter in that of Colonel H----.

Sir John, a noted follower in the steps of Horace Walpole, had no
sooner become the owner of this interesting letter, than he set to work
to find out its origin, and to fill up its history. Unfortunately, the
sheet had received some wounds in the wars, as well as the gallant
colonel. One corner had been carried away by an unlucky thrust from a
razor--not a sword; while the date and signature had also been half
eaten out by the white ants of Bengal. But such difficulties as these
were only pleasing obstacles in the way of antiquarian activity. Sir
John had soon formed an hypothesis perfectly satisfactory to himself.
His mother's name was Butler, and he claimed some sort of affinity with
the author of Hudibras; as the Christian name of the poor poet had been
almost entirely devoured by the ants, while the surname had also
suffered here and there, Sir John ingeniously persuaded himself that
what remained had clearly belonged to the signature of the great
satirist; as for the date, the abbreviation of "Nov. 20th." and the
figures 16-- marking the century, were really tolerably distinct.
Accordingly, Sir John wrote a brief notice of Butler's Life, dwelling
much upon his well-known poverty, and quoting his epitaph, with the
allusion to his indigence underscored, "lest he who living wanted all
things, should, when dead, want a tomb," and placed these remarks
opposite the letter of our starving poet, which was registered in the
volume in conspicuous characters as an "Autograph of Samuel Butler,
author of