of prosperity, the
money-lender is pretty certain to be in the house again, and the bills
with the old signature in the market. Clavering found it more convenient
to see these gentry at Strong's lodgings than at his own; and such was
the Chevalier's friendship for the Baronet that although he did not
possess a shilling of his own, his name might be seen as the drawer of
almost all the bills of exchange which Sir Francis Clavering accepted.
Having drawn Clavering's bills, he got them discounted "in the City."
When they became due he parleyed with the bill-holders, and gave
them instalments of their debt, or got time in exchange for fresh
acceptances. Regularly or irregularly, gentlemen must live somehow:
and as we read how, the other day, at Comorn, the troops forming that
garrison were gay and lively, acted plays, danced at balls, and consumed
their rations; though menaced with an assault from the enemy without the
walls, and with a gallows if the Austrians were successful,--so there
are hundreds of gallant spirits in this town, walking about in good
spirits, dining every day in tolerable gaiety and plenty, and going to
sleep comfortably; with a bailiff always more or less near, and a
rope of debt round their necks--the which trifling inconveniences, Ned
Strong, the old soldier, bore very easily.

But we shall have another opportunity of making acquaintance with these
and some other interesting inhabitants of Shepherd's Inn, and in the
meanwhile are keeping Lady Clavering and her friends too long waiting on
the door-steps of Grosvenor Place.

First they went into the gorgeous dining-room, fitted up, Lady Clavering
couldn't for goodness gracious tell why, in the middle-aged style,
"unless," said her good-natured ladyship, laughing, "because me and
Clavering are middle-aged people;"--and here they were offered the
copious remains of the luncheon of which Lady Clavering and Blanche had
just partaken. When nobody was near, our little Sylphide, who scarcely
ate at dinner more than the six grains of rice of Amina, the friend of
the Ghouls in the Arabian Nights, was most active with her knife and
fork, and consumed a very substantial portion of mutton cutlets: in
which piece of hypocrisy it is believed she resembled other young ladies
of fashion. Pen and his uncle declined the refection, but they admired
the dining-room with fitting compliments, and pronounced it "very
chaste," that being the proper phrase. There were, indee