"True, sir, and I hope you join me in my admiration of that illustrious philosopher, who in a state of manners the most effeminate and depraved taught the simplicities of life both by precept and example. Do you believe, sir, that his father was banished from Sinope as a passer of counterfeit coin?" "Iv'e no proofs," replied Mr. Whiffle. "Quinctilian, indeed"

"Well, sir, I will yield to any opinion of the Rhetorician of Calagurris." "He says," continued Mr. Whiffle"But if you really want a disquisition on the subject, I shall be happy to furnish you with one at some future time. Meanwhile, if you desire any information on matters so simple allow me to refer you to my Famulus, whom you have already seen. Are you acquaint

ed with the ancient Punic ?"

"I regret to say," answered Mr. Hubble, that with the exception of the scene in Plautus, I don't know a word of it."

66

Ill teach it you; but in the meantime, will you introduce me to my pupil? I am anxious to begin the duties of my office."

Mr. Hubble did not altogether like the cavalier manner in which he was turned over to the servant for the resolution of his doubts on the family history of Diogenes, nor the boastful offer of instruction in Phoenician, but yielded with his usual good-nature, and accompanied his guest in search of George Hope.

There was something so amusing to that young gentleman in the grotesque appearance of his tutor, that he did not show such indignation at the assumption of authority by Mr. Whiffle as might have been expected; and when we consider the deference paid him by Mr. Hubble, the silent awe of Mary Hope, and the rapturous admiration of Aunt Barbara, we must conclude that the learned pedagogue had no reason to be dissatisfied with his reception. A few hours wore off the awkwardness of a first meeting under such circumstances, and by the time dinner was concluded Mr. Hubble saw clearly that his new inmate was the

most deep read of mankind, or at least had the most learned domestic; Aunt Barbara was fascinated with his studied compliments and attentions, and even George Hope began to consider him not quite the useless bookworm he had at first believed him, more particularly as he gave a very good account of the Priam colt at Newmarket, in answer to a question by Mr. Hubble on the nature of the Pythic games. On ordinary occasions Ignatius bctook himself to his couch, or at least to his bedroom, at a very early hour. This night however, he prolonged his sitting in the drawingroom till past nine o'clock, and even then only bade the party good night, when Abraham Slocock begged to speak with him for a few minutes alone.

"I'm sorry, sir," said Abraham, "to leave so good a master, but I must give you warning."

66

Why, Abraham?-has any one offended you?-have I ?"

"Oh not you, sir; I will say that you are a perfect gentleman, and a very good master to me, though they say you're as great a scholar as the best."

66

Though I'm a scholar? explain yourself."

66 Well, then, there a'int no use to mince the matter; we all know that Latin is the devil's language, and we ha'nt no doubt that that e're fam❜lus, as he calls himself, of Mr. Whiffle, is an imp of Satan."

"Because he speaks Latin?—I feel ashamed at such super"

“Ashamed or not, sir, Molly and me ca'nt stay in the house with him; he has converted the morals of half the maids already-I seed him myself a kissing of our old cook."

"Indeed? but after all, it may be only a peculiarity of the young man ; or more likely, a translation into visible signs, for the edification of the uneducated, of the old proverb, Abraham, which says He that loves good dishes kisses the cook-Qui dapibus datur coquam osculatur."

"But then, sir," continued Abraham, "Jane Marsel, Miss Mary's maid, ain't cook, and he did exactly the same to her. And for the matter of that, he tried the same trick with Molly herself-but she hit him such a pelt on the side of the head, he'll remember it the longest day he has to live."

"Strange that such frivolity," mused Mr. Hubble, "should be joined to so much erudition. His knowledge of the Greek measures is amazing."

"So it is of the English, sir,-particularly quarts-he has drunk a whole gallon of your honour's best October, and is hollowing out as loud as he can for cold swizzle and cigars."

I regret to say I have none of the latter"

"But he has given me the key of his master's trunk, where he tells me there's a whole box of them. I've got the trunk here, sir."

Abrahain fitted the key to the lock. "Stop!" exclaimed Mr. Hubble; "are the cigars his own property? They're in his master's keeping."

"No, sir, they're in his keeping, so that's all right enough; sich things is always perquisites."

"Well, then," said Ignatius, who was willing to be convinced by even less cogent arguments than those of Mr. Slocock, so anxious was he to see the learned stores of his respected inmate, but be careful not to injure the rolls of manuscripts, or the valuable editions of the classics; gently, Abraham, I trust there is a copy of his own immortal work on education among them."

Thus permitted, Abraham lifted up the lid, but no papers met the view. Shirts, cravats, silk waistcoats, a gay and brilliant wardrobe, and at last, near the bottom of the trunk, to the delight of the examiners, a volume or two, and an open letter. Eagerly were the precious spoils laid hold of. But alas! the printed one consisted only of the Racing Calender,-the Sporting Magazine," the Better's Ready Reckoner of Odds up to a Hundred"-and the Army List.

"He must be engaged in some inquiry into the sports of the ancients,' said Ignatius.

"His sports lie more among the young ones," answered Abraham.

"The letter will perhaps explain," continued the master. "Let me see; it has no address, and is signed Terrence O'Donahue. Who is he? know no scholar of that name."

I

"Dear Atty,-Your jolly old governor has given me a commission to ick up an old fellow of the name of

Whiffle, for tutor, or some such thing to some Johnny Raw of his acquaintance. It is a great pity he did'nt apply to me a week sooner, for the old man was alive at that time,' but just as if on purpose to disappoint me, he died last week of old age, for he was seventy or eighty years old. I called at his room in College, And is Mr. Whiffle at home ?' said I to the scout.

"Troth is he?" said he, and I saw in a moment he was a countryman of mine, and his long home, too; for we've jist come from the berrying.'

"Ah! my dear,' said I, 'I'm sorry; for I wanted him for tutor for a friend's friend, and I do'nt know what to say to him.'

"You can just give my master's compliments,' said the youth-a real Kerry boy, his name is Dermont Brady and say he is particularly engaged.'

"And this strikes me to be a good piece of advice, so you can deliver that same message, and look out among the dons of Cambridge"

At this point of the letter Mr. Hubble stopt, and no wonder, for the epistle fell out of his hands, and his eyes were fixed in the extremity of amazement on the ceiling.

"What can possibly be the meaning of all this? Who is the tall man in the spectacles?"

"Brother, 1 should think, to the fam'lus in the kitchen," suggested Abraham, "for he's playing just the same game in the parlour that the other is doing below. I seed him squeezing Miss Barbara's hand all the time of tea."

My sister's? nonsense!"

"It's no nonsense," continued the observant Slocock; and I seed him a-whispering up in the corner behind the harp with Miss Mary, when you was a talking Greek to the fam❜lus the sofa.'

"You amaze me!—I begin to have suspicions that we are deceived in some extraordinary manner."

"I never knowed no good come of Latin, or any of them tongues."

"Silence!" said Mr. Hubble. “I will find out the mystery. Accompany me once more into the drawingroom.”

"Yes my dear madam, and if I thought I could depend on your concurrence, I would extend my tuition to the female infant now seated at the piano."

"Female infant? You mean my niece? She is indeed only a babe, and scarcely worth the trouble of instructing."

"With such a pattern for imitation, my labours would be very easy," replied Mr Whiffle. "And as I would incite them to the practice of all that is good by pointing to you, my dearest friend,- -so I would deter them from vice, from vanity, from frivolous occupation, by showing them the actual scenes where such things are in fashion. Oh, Miss Barbara! that you would assist me in teaching these young creatures the stupidity of a fancy ball!"

"But they have no great partiality for one, have they?"

"They may at some future time; and you know, my charming friend, that prevention is better than cure, There is a masquerade at Winchester this very night."

"Is there ?"

"How horrible it would be !-what a weight upon our consciences! if by any neglect on our parts, they were left in ignorance of the sinfulness of such a meeting!"

"Explain it to them, dear sir." "Show it to them, you would say. Yes, my charming, my wise companion in this noble office, we must make them spectators of the inanity, the dulness of the proceeding. Yes!" he continued in an eloquent enthusiasm,

"we will take them and show them the artificial flowers with which the yawning abyss beneath their feet is covered. You, acting as the guiding Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, and I as simple Mentor, the adorer of the blue-eyed maid."

"Well, I don't know-but-my blue dress would just do. And one of the stuff'd owls, from my brother's collection could be sewed into my sleeve. And you think they would be benefited by our going?"

Decidedly-and I felt so sure of your concurrence, that I ordered the chaise that brought me here to wait for us at the Crown."

A

An additional pressure of the hand, and a glance from the huge eyes of the spectacles, that seemed to glow as if they had been burning-glasses, and had set fire to the tinder of Miss Barbara's heart, completed the success of the Tutor's oration, and Miss Barbara hurried off to accoutre herself. few words explained Mr Whiffle's system to George Hope, who did not stand to argue on the merits of it, but jumped at the plan with all the impetuosity of his nature, and rushed to his room" to arm him for the fray."

a

"So now they're both disposed of," said Mr. Whiffle, turning to Mary Hope; " and I have but a moment to explain to you my reasons for all this.. My father insists on my marrying another-nay, don't start or make scene, I told you the same this morning-he is such a violent man, and besides has such pressing reasons for the match, that unless I can give a particularly good excuse for not complying, he will go mad, and get into scrapes with a person who has him in his power."

"How? gracious! who can have power over"

"When a man is in debt he is more dependent than a slave. If he found me married settled- then, don't you see, it would be no fault of his that he could not fulfil his engage ment; and in short, it's all settledyour uncle is in bed-your aunt and brother will be taken care of by a friend of mine, who is here in the character of my servant; and we, my dear Mary, with four stout posters, shall soon be down to Birmingham;

and once on the railway, catch us who can."

There is no saying what effect this and similar speeches might have had, if the matter had not been otherwise decided by the entrance of Mr Hubble and his man.

Mr Whiffle seemed somewhat awkward at the sight of his host; but, whether from a consciousness that a gentleman on one knee has a somewhat absurd appearance, we cannot tell. However, he sprang up in a moment.

"I told ye how it were sir," said Abraham Slocock-" old or young, it's all one to them scholars-I'll never teach no son of mine to read or write."

"The gentleman and his domestic are certainly somewhat Turkish in their notions of matrimony," replied Mr Hubble, calmly. "Have the kindness to explain to me the meaning of this behaviour."

"Certainly, sir," said Mr Whiffle, unabashed;" tis part of my system, as detailed, you may remember, in my book. Tacitus, you recollect, sir, and Herodotus-but my Famulus will explain-Hesiod also, and Tertullian, all agree in"

"Well, sir, what of them?"

"Let me send for my Famulus," replied Mr Whiffle; "he will quote to you the passages in a moment. Tis too easy a task for me."

"Then it will, perhaps, be equally easy for you to account for the news contained in this letter," said the gentle Ignatius, holding out O'Donahue's epistle, which had caused him so much surprise.

"A forgery-in fact, as Xenophon's Anabasis says, or rather Anacreon's Georgics-but my Famulus"

"Anacreon's Georgics!" exclaimed Mr Hubble" the proof grows stronger against you every word you speak, and I am under the disagreeable necessity of sending for a constable, and taking you into custody as a deceiver."

"How do you like me now ?" said Miss Barbara, as she glided into the room, dressed in blue silk, with an immense owl resting on her arm, and a long staff in her hand for a spear. "Will they know, do you think, that I am wisdom personified?"

"My sister!" exclaimed the horor-struck Ignatius-"There's mad

ness in the whole house-Barbara, are you not ashamed of yourself!"

"Ashamed of the righteous deed of showing George and Mary the sinfulness of a masquerade ?-of showing them the artificial flowers on a yawning abbess? as Mr Whiffle says

though who it is that is going in that character, I can't tell of showing them❞—

"How foolish their aunt can be, you should say," continued Mr Hubble" pray where is my nephew George?"

"Here I be Nunky!" said that individual, who had occupied the time of his absence in dressing himself in tight drawers, and painting his face red and white, in imitation of Mr Grimaldi-having resolved to astonish the assemblage in the character of clown. "What do you want with me?"

Mr Hubble held up his hands in despair, and scarcely knew whether to be glad or sorry, when a violent ringing at the bell announced a visiter at that untimely hour. The door was opened, a noise was heard on the stas, and into the drawing room stalked a stout gentleman, considerably advanced in wine.

"Sir Wilfred !" exclaimed Mr Hubble, delighted.

"My father!" exclaimed, at the same moment Mr Whiffle; and the baronet, gazing round him for a long time, at last found words.

"Are ye all wild? Why, what mummery is all this?"--and you, you rascal, what has brought you from Cambridge here? I told you to go to Muswell Hill."

"Can't indeed, sir," replied our friend Mr Whiffle.

"And why not, sir?-it can't be for want of a conveyance, for I nearly drove against two carriages in the lane."

"Got a prior engagement, sir." "Then, by heavens sir, you're no son of mine."

"A son of yours, Sir Wilfred ?" interrupted Mr Hubble. "I wasn't aware-a juvenile indiscretion, perhaps.'

"A full grown one, Mr Hubble," pursued the baronet; "the rascal is Arthur Hammond-you wanted me to get him a tutor."

"And he came here as tutor to my nephew."