to make thee look
a little merrier thyself. Why, thou lookest like a book of my
grandfather's called Burton's ''Anatomy of Melancholy;' and faith, a
shabbier bound copy of it I never saw."

"These jests are a little hard," said Paul, struggling between anger
and an attempt to smile; and then recollecting his late literary
occupations, and the many extracts he had taken from "Gleanings of the
Belles Lettres," in order to impart elegance to his criticisms, he threw
out his hand theatrically, and spouted with a solemn face,--

"'Of all the griefs that harass the distrest,
Sure the most bitter is a scornful jest!'"

"Well, now, prithee forgive me," said Long Ned, composing his features,
"and just tell me what you have been doing the last two months."

"Slashing and plastering!" said Paul, with conscious pride.

"Slashing and what? The boy's mad. What do you mean, Paul?"

"In other words," said our hero, speaking very slowly, "know, O very
Long Ned! that I have been critic to 'The Asinaeum.'"

If Paul's comrade laughed at first, he now laughed ten times more
merrily than ever. He threw his full length of limb upon a neighbouring
sofa, and literally rolled with cachinnatory convulsions; nor did his
risible emotions subside until the entrance of the hung-beef restored
him to recollection. Seeing, then, that a cloud lowered over Paul's
countenance, he went up to him with something like gravity, begged his
pardon for his want of politeness, and desired him to wash away all
unkindness in a bumper of port. Paul, whose excellent dispositions we
have before had occasion to remark, was not impervious to his friend's
apologies. He assured Long Ned that he quite forgave him for his
ridicule of the high situation he (Paul) had enjoyed in the literary
world; that it was the duty of a public censor to bear no malice, and
that he should be very glad to take his share in the interment of the
hung-beef.

The pair now sat down to their repast; and Paul, who had fared but
meagerly in that Temple of Athena over which MacGrawler presided, did
ample justice to the viands before him. By degrees, as he ate and
drank, his heart opened to his companion; and laying aside that Asinaeum
dignity which he had at first thought it incumbent on him to assume, he
entertained Pepper with all the particulars of the life he had lately
passed. He narrated to him his breach with Dame Lobkins, his agreement
with MacGrawler, the glory he had a