e entertained
whether he would be able to get it up again, but these happily turned
out to be unfounded. Again his voice mounted to its natural level, and
after rolling about for some time, "grating harsh discord," wore itself
out in a cadence of confused gutturals. "Bravo, bravo," cried the men.
"A very fine quality of bass," exclaimed his friend, Slap'emup, who
affected to be a judge; and Mr Scratcherd blew his nose, and fell back
in his chair in a state of great personal satisfaction.

With a thoughtful regard for the comforts of her guests, Mrs Greenwood
had, early in the evening, thrown open her little back drawing-room, in
which were placed abundance of refreshments, to sustain them through the
fatigues of dancing and conversation. By a succession of visits to this
room, Mr Simon Silky had succeeded in giving firmness to his nerves. He
was gradually becoming less and less bashful. There must have been
something bracing about the atmosphere of the apartments, for to this,
and not to the bottle of port, to which he was observed to have frequent
recourse, must be attributed that jauntiness of step and slipshod
volubility of tongue which he now displayed. He danced every dance, and
for the most part with Miss Jemima for his partner. What though his
uncouth gestures provoked a smile, and his assiduities to the young lady
were commented on at every hand. He cared not. His spirit was in the
third heaven of exaltation, and the whole world might go hang for him.

"Miss Linton," he exclaimed, seizing her hand fervently--they were
seated on a sofa in the back drawing-room, while the others were
labouring through a country-dance in the front--"Miss Linton, hear me
for a moment. Let me use this opportunity of stating what I have long
felt--what I now feel--what I shall always feel." And again Mr Silky
pressed her hand tenderly in both of his.

"Oh, sir!" timidly responded the lady.

"Yes, adorable Jemima! I can no longer repress my emotion. You see
before you a victim to your charms. The moment I beheld you, I don't
know how it was, but my heart thrilled with a transport delightful as it
was new. I felt--I felt--in short, I felt as I never felt before. My
senses forsook me, and I said and did I know not what. These soulless
creatures treated my confusion with ridicule; but, in your eyes,
methought I could read pity, compassion, commiseration, sympathy. Say,
was I right, or was I misled by the fond delusions of my own passio