ch visions are not exactly to
be sneered at. Not that such phantasmagoria," said I, raising my voice,
"are to be compared for a moment with such desirable things as fashion,
fine clothes, cheques from uncles, parliamentary interest, the love of
splendid females. Ah! woman's love," said I, and sighed.

"What's the matter with the fellow?" said Francis Ardry.

"There is nothing like it," said I.

"Like what?"

"Love, divine love," said I.

"Confound love," said Francis Ardry, "I hate the very name; I have made
myself a pretty fool by it, but trust me for ever being at such folly
again. In an evil hour I abandoned my former pursuits and amusements for
it; in one morning spent at Joey's there was more real pleasure than in--"

"Surely," said I, "you are not hankering after dog-fighting again, a
sport which none but the gross and unrefined care anything for? No,
one's thoughts should be occupied by something higher and more rational
than dog-fighting; and what better than love--divine love? Oh, there's
nothing like it!"

"Pray, don't talk nonsense," said Francis Ardry.

"Nonsense," said I; "why I was repeating, to the best of my recollection,
what I heard you say on a former occasion."

"If ever I talked such stuff," said Francis Ardry, "I was a fool; and
indeed I cannot deny that I have been one: no, there's no denying that I
have been a fool. What do you think? that false Annette has cruelly
abandoned me."

"Well," said I, "perhaps you have yourself to thank for her having done
so; did you never treat her with coldness, and repay her marks of
affectionate interest with strange fits of eccentric humour?"

"Lord! how little you know of women," said Francis Ardry; "had I done as
you suppose, I should probably have possessed her at the present moment.
I treated her in a manner diametrically opposite to that. I loaded her
with presents, was always most assiduous to her, always at her feet, as I
may say, yet she nevertheless abandoned me--and for whom? I am almost
ashamed to say--for a fiddler."

I took a glass of wine, Francis Ardry followed my example, and then
proceeded to detail to me the treatment which he had experienced from
Annette, and from what he said, it appeared that her conduct to him had
been in the highest degree reprehensible; notwithstanding he had indulged
her in everything, she was never civil to him, but loaded him continually
with taunts and insults, and had finally, on his being unabl