Miss JESSIMINA was naturally bathed in tears at the announcement of my
approaching departure, although I fondly sought to console her by
assurances that my residence in Highbury, Islington, though beyond the
radius and of inaccessible remoteness from Ladbroke Grove, should not
obliterate her brilliant image from the cracked looking-glass of my
heart, and that I would write to her with weekly regularity, and revisit
the glimpses of her moony presence at the first convenient opportunity.

I do correspond with effusiveness and punctuality through the obliging
medium of a young intimate Indian acquaintance of mine, who does
actually reside at Highbury, and has kindly undertaken to forward my
_billets doux_.

This stratagem is necessitated by the circumstance that (as a matter of
fact) I am dwelling under a rose at Hereford Road, Westbourne Grove,
which is in convenient proximity to Prince's Square and the stately home
of the ALLBUTT-INNETT family, with whom I am now promoted to become the
tame cat.

[Illustration: _"UNACCUSTOMED TO DARK-COMPLEXIONED GENTLEMEN."_
(frontispiece)]

In Hereford Road I occupy garishly genteel first-floor front and back
apartments at rupees fifteen per week and the Lady of the Land has
entreated me to kindly excuse the waiting-maid for jumping with
diffidence whenever I pop upon her unpremeditatedly on the stairs, being
a nervous girl and unaccustomed to dark-complexioned gentlemen--though
her own countenance, from superabundance of blacking and smuts, being of
a far superior nigritude, it is I myself who should be more justified in
jumping.

However, she is already becoming the _habituee_, and seldom drops the
crockery-ware now--except when I simper with too beaming a
condescension.

Certain of my readers will perhaps hold up the hands of amazement at my
imprudence in disclosing my whereabouts, and other private concerns, in
the publicity of a popular periodical--but there is method in such
madness; they do not take in _Punch_ at Porticobello House, considering
that one penny (or even the moiety of that sum) is more correct value
for funny and comical illustrated journalism, while the ALLBUTT-INNETTS,
although they see _Punch_ weekly do not peruse the literary contents,
especially in the season, when, as Mrs A.-I. frequently remarks, they
are in such a constant whirl of social dissipation that they have
absolutely no time for serious reading.

At first I was severely mortified that--