it was that Mr. Aminadab's gaol-birds took
the air.

They had seen me reading out of the prayer-book at the back-parlour
window, and all burst into a yell of laughter when I came to walk in the
cage. One of them shouted out "Amen!" when I appeared; another called me
a muff (which means, in the slang language, a very silly fellow); a third
wondered that I took to my prayer-book _yet_.

"When do you mean, sir?" says I to the fellow--a rough man, a
horse-dealer.

"Why, when you are going _to be hanged_, you young hypocrite!" says the
man. "But that is always the way with Brough's people," continued he. "I
had four greys once for him--a great bargain, but he would not go to look
at them at Tattersall's, nor speak a word of business about them, because
it was a Sunday."

"Because there are hypocrites," sir, says I, "religion is not to be
considered a bad thing; and if Mr. Brough would not deal with you on a
Sunday, he certainly did his duty."

The men only laughed the more at this rebuke, and evidently considered me
a great criminal. I was glad to be released from their society by the
appearance of Gus and Mr. Smithers. Both wore very long faces. They
were ushered into my room, and, without any orders of mine, a bottle of
wine and biscuits were brought in by Mr. Aminadab; which I really thought
was very kind of him.

"Drink a glass of wine, Mr. Titmarsh," says Smithers, "and read this
letter. A pretty note was that which you sent to your aunt this morning,
and here you have an answer to it."

I drank the wine, and trembled rather as I read as follows:--

"Sir,--If, because you knew I had desined to leave you my proparty,
you wished to murdar me, and so stepp into it, you are dissapointed.
Your _villiany_ and _ingratitude would_ have murdard me, had I not, by
Heaven's grace, been inabled to look for consalation _elsewhere_.

"For nearly a year I have been a _martar_ to you. I gave up
everything,--my happy home in the country, where all respected the
name of Hoggarty; my valuble furnitur and wines; my plate, glass, and
crockry; I brought all--all to make your home happy and rispectable. I
put up with the _airs and impertanencies_ of Mrs. Titmarsh; I loaded
her and you with presents and bennafits. I sacrafised myself; I gave
up the best sociaty in the land, to witch I have been accustomed, in
order to be a gardian and compannion to you, and prevent, if possible,
that