Doncaster races with a flea in your ear!" There was a secret sting in
this speech, that seemed quite to disconcert Master Simon. He jerked
away his hand in a pet, smacked his whip, whistled to his dogs, and
intimated that it was high time to go home. The girl, however, was
determined not to lose her harvest. She now turned upon me, and, as I
have a weakness of spirit where there is a pretty face concerned, she
soon wheedled me out of my money, and, in return, read me a fortune;
which, if it prove true, and I am determined to believe it, will make
me one of the luckiest men in the chronicles of Cupid.

I saw that the Oxonian was at the bottom of all this oracular mystery,
and was disposed to amuse himself with the general, whose tender
approaches to the widow have attracted the notice of the wag. I was a
little curious, however, to know the meaning of the dark hints which
had so suddenly disconcerted Master Simon; and took occasion to fall
in the rear with the Oxonian on our way home, when he laughed heartily
at my questions, and gave me ample information on the subject.

The truth of the matter is, that Master Simon has met with a sad
rebuff since my Christmas visit to the Hall. He used at that time to
be joked about a widow, a fine dashing woman, as he privately informed
me. I had supposed the pleasure he betrayed on these occasions
resulted from the usual fondness of old bachelors for being teased
about getting married, and about flirting, and being fickle and
false-hearted. I am assured, however, that Master Simon had really
persuaded himself the widow had a kindness for him; in consequence of
which he had been at some extraordinary expense in new clothes, and
had actually got Frank Bracebridge to order him a coat from Stultz. He
began to throw out hints about the importance of a man's settling
himself in life before he grew old; he would look grave, whenever the
widow and matrimony were mentioned in the same sentence; and privately
asked the opinion of the Squire and parson about the prudence of
marrying a widow with a rich jointure, but who had several children.

An important member of a great family connexion cannot harp much upon
the theme of matrimony, without its taking wind; and it soon got
buzzed about that Mr. Simon Bracebridge was actually gone to Doncaster
races, with a new horse; but that he meant to return in a curricle
with a lady by his side. Master Simon did, indeed, go to the races,
and that with