his address is
in my memorandum book: _'Inquire for the Pig Pen, No.--Ann street, any
night after midnight._' Ugh! I don't like this venturing among
cut-throats and thieves, at such untimely hours; but nothing risk,
nothing have; and anything for love!"

The reader's attention is now summoned to the scene which transpired
between the Chevalier and the Duchess, immediately after the departure
of Mr. Tickels from the house.

The Duchess, who had been sitting upon the sofa, bathed in tears and
sobbing as if her heart would break, jumped up, bounded across the
carpet in a series of graceful pirouettes, and then, throwing herself
upon the floor, indulged in a peal of silvery laughter that made the
room fairly echo, exclaiming--

"What a d----d old fool that man is! Oh, I shall die--I shall positively
suffocate with mirth!"

The Chevalier, throwing aside every appearance of indignation and
dignity, placed himself in that humorous and rather vulgar position,
sometimes adopted by jocose youths, who wish to intimate to their
friends the fact that any individual has been most egregiously "sucked
in." Fearing that the uninitiated may not readily comprehend this
pantomimic witticism, we may as well state, for their enlightenment,
that it is accomplished by applying the thumb to the tip of the nose,
and executing a series of gyrations with the open hand; the whole affair
being a very playful and ingenious invention, much practised by
newsboys, cabmen, second-hand clothes dealers, and sporting gentlemen.

"A cool five thousand!" shouted the Chevalier, abandoning this comic
picture, and "squaring off" at his reflection in the mirror, in the most
approved style of the pugilistic art--as if he were about to give
himself a "punch in the head," for being such a funny, clever dog;
"bravo! I'll go and get the cheque cashed at once; and then hurrah for a
brilliant season of glorious dissipation! But, my Duchess, how the devil
did you mange to get the old fool so infatuated--so crazy with passion?
for I stood over ten minutes looking at both of you through the
key-hole, before I entered the room, and I never before saw a man act so
extravagantly ludicrous; it was only with extreme difficulty that I
could keep myself from laughing outright. And you, witch that you are,
looked as if you were panting and dying with amorous desires. By my
soul, 'twas admirably done!"

The Duchess smiled with gratification at the praise; and arising from