fright--a perfect
little fright; you never saw such a miserable creature in all your days.
Positively you must not let her see one of these beautiful dears again,
or you'll break her heart, you will indeed.--Heaven bless this child, see
how she is looking in my face! can you conceive anything prettier than
that? If poor Mrs. Finching could only hope--but that's impossible--and
the gifts of Providence, you know--What _did_ I do with my
pocket-handkerchief!'

What prompts the mother, who dotes upon her children, to comment to her
lord that evening on the plausible lady's engaging qualities and feeling
heart, and what is it that procures Mr. and Mrs. Bobtail Widger an
immediate invitation to dinner?

THE NICE LITTLE COUPLE

A custom once prevailed in old-fashioned circles, that when a lady or
gentleman was unable to sing a song, he or she should enliven the company
with a story. As we find ourself in the predicament of not being able to
describe (to our own satisfaction) nice little couples in the abstract,
we purpose telling in this place a little story about a nice little
couple of our acquaintance.

Mr. and Mrs. Chirrup are the nice little couple in question. Mr. Chirrup
has the smartness, and something of the brisk, quick manner of a small
bird. Mrs. Chirrup is the prettiest of all little women, and has the
prettiest little figure conceivable. She has the neatest little foot,
and the softest little voice, and the pleasantest little smile, and the
tidiest little curls, and the brightest little eyes, and the quietest
little manner, and is, in short, altogether one of the most engaging of
all little women, dead or alive. She is a condensation of all the
domestic virtues,--a pocket edition of the young man's best companion,--a
little woman at a very high pressure, with an amazing quantity of
goodness and usefulness in an exceedingly small space. Little as she is,
Mrs. Chirrup might furnish forth matter for the moral equipment of a
score of housewives, six feet high in their stockings--if, in the
presence of ladies, we may be allowed the expression--and of
corresponding robustness.

Nobody knows all this better than Mr. Chirrup, though he rather takes on
that he don't. Accordingly he is very proud of his better-half, and
evidently considers himself, as all other people consider him, rather
fortunate in having her to wife. We say evidently, because Mr. Chirrup
is a warm-hearted little fellow; and if you