tree now, my lord. I thought
I'd just tell you as you are so friendly, coming among us, here, my
lord!" Lord Hampstead again congratulated him, and expressed a hope
that he might be allowed to send the bride a small present.

"Oh, my lord," said Tribbledale, "it shall go with the clock and the
harmonium, and shall be the proudest moment of my life."

When Miss Demijohn heard that the salary of Pogson and Littlebird's
clerk,--she called it "Dan's screw" in speaking of the matter to her
aunt,--had been raised to L160 per annum, she felt that there could
be no excuse for a further change. Up to that moment it had seemed
to her that Tribbledale had obtained his triumph by a deceit which
it still might be her duty to frustrate. He had declared positively
that those fatal words had been actually written in the book,
"Dismissal--B. B." But she had learned that the words had not been
written as yet. All is fair in love and war. She was not in the least
angry with Tribbledale because of his little ruse. A lie told in such
a cause was a merit. But not on that account need she be led away
by it from her own most advantageous course. In spite of the little
quarrel which had sprung up between herself and Crocker, Crocker,
still belonging to Her Majesty's Civil Service, must be better than
Tribbledale. But when she found that Tribbledale's statement as to
the L160 was true, and when she bethought herself that Crocker would
probably be dismissed sooner or later, then she determined to be
firm. As to the L160, old Mrs. Demijohn herself went to the office,
and learned the truth from Zachary Fay. "I think he is a good young
man," said the Quaker, "and he will do very well if he will cease to
think quite so much of himself." To this Mrs. Demijohn remarked that
half-a-dozen babies might probably cure that fault.

So the matter was settled, and it came to pass that Daniel
Tribbledale and Clara Demijohn were married at Holloway on that very
Thursday which saw completed the alliance which had been so long
arranged between the noble houses of Powell and De Hauteville. There
were two letters written on the occasion which shall be given here
as showing the willingness to forget and forgive which marked the
characters of the two persons. A day or two before the marriage the
following invitation was sent;--

DEAR SAM,--

I hope you will quite forget what is past, at any rate
what was unpleasant, and come to our wedding on Thursda