gate, six lawyers'-clerks might whoop a tipsy song-or the loud watchman yells the passing hour-but beyond this all was silence, and young Perkins as he sat in the summer-house at the bottom of the garden, and contemplated the peaceful heaven, felt some influences of it entering into his soul, and almost forgetting revenge, thought but of peace and love.

Presently he was aware there was some one else pacing the garden. Who could it be?-not Blatherwick, for he passed the sabbath with his grandmamma at Clapham-not Scully surely, for he always went to Bethesda chapel, and to a select prayer-meeting afterwards. Alas! it was Scully for though that gentleman said that he went to chapel, we have it for a fact that he did not always keep his promise, and was at this moment employed in rehearsing an extempore speech which he proposed to deliver at St. Stephen's.

"Had I, sir," spouted he, with folded arms, slow pacing to and fro, "had I, sir, entertained the smallest possible intention of addressing the House on the present occasion-hum, on the present occasion-I would have endeavoured to prepare myself in a way that should have at least shown my sense of the greatness of the subject before the House's consideration, and the nature of the distinguished audience I have the honour to address. I am, sir, a plain man-born of the people-myself one of the people, having won, thank Heaven, an honourable fortune and position by my own honest labour; and standing here as I do-'

*

Here Mr. Scully (it may be said that he never made a speech without bragging about himself, and an excellent plan it is, for people cannot help believing you at last)-here, I say, Mr. Scully, who had one arm raised, felt himself suddenly tipped on the shoulder, and heard a voice saying, "Your money or your life!"

The honourable gentleman twirled round as if he had been shot-the papers on which a great part of his impromptu were written dropped from his lifted hand, and some of them were actually borne on the air into neighbouring gardens — the man was, in fact, in the direst fright.

"It's only 1," said Perkins, with rather a forced laugh, when he saw the effect that his wit had produced.

"Only you! And pray what the dev-what right have you to-to come upon a man of my rank in that way, and disturb me in the midst of very important meditations," asked Mr. Scully, beginning to grow fierce.

"I want your advice," said Perkins, on a matter of the very greatest importance to me. You know my idea of marrying?" "Marry!" said Scully, "I thought you had given up that silly scheme. And how, pray, do you intend to live?"

"Why, my intended has a couple of hundreds a year, and my clerkship in the Tape-and-Sealing-Wax Office, will be as much more." "Clerkship-Tape-and-Sealing-Wax Office-government sinecurewhy, good Heavens! John Perkins, you don't tell me that you are going to accept any such thing?"

"It is a very small salary, certainly," said John, who had a decent notion of his own merits, "but consider, six months vacation, two

hours in the day, and those spent over the newspapers. After all it's-"

"After all, it's a swindle," roared out Mr. Scully," a swindle upon the country: an infamous tax upon the people, who starve that you may fatten in idleness. But take this clerkship in the Tape-and-SealingWax Office," continued the patriot, his bosom heaving with noble indignation, and his eye flashing the purest fire,-"Take this clerkship, John Perkins, and sanction tyranny by becoming one of its agents; sanction dishonesty by sharing in its plunder-do this, BUT never more be friend of mine. Had I a child," said the patriot, clasping his hands and raising his eyes to heaven, "I would rather see him-dead, sirdead, dead at my feet, than the servant of a government which all honest men despise ;" and here giving a searching glance at Perkins, Mr. Scully began tramping up and down the garden in a perfect fury.

"Good Heavens!" exclaimed the timid John Perkins-"don't say so. My dear Mr. Scully, I'm not the dishonest character you suppose me to be I never looked at the matter in this light. I'll-I'll consider of it. I'll tell Crampton that I will give up the place-but, for heaven's sake, don't let me forfeit your friendship, which is dearer to me than any place in the world."

Mr. Scully pressed his hand and said nothing; and though their interview lasted a full half-hour longer, during which they paced up and down the gravel-walk, we shall not breathe a single syllable of their conversation, as it has nothing to do with our tale.

The next morning, after an interview with Miss Lucy, John Perkins, Esq. was seen to issue from Mrs. Biggs's house, looking particularly pale, melancholy, and thoughtful; and he did not stop until he reached a certain door in Downing-street, where was the office of a certain great minister, and the offices of the clerks in his lordship's depart

ment.

The head of them was Mr. Josiah Crampton, who has now to be introduced to the public. He was a little old gentleman, about sixty years of age, maternal uncle to John Perkins; a bachelor, who had been about forty-two years employed in the department of which he was now the head.

After waiting four hours in an anteroom, where a number of Irishmen, some newspaper-editors, many pompous-looking, political personages, asking for the "first lord;" a few sauntering clerks, and numbers of swift active messengers passed to and fro. After waiting for four hours, making drawings on the blotting-book, and reading the Morning Post for that day week, Mr. Perkins was informed that he might go into his uncle's room, and did so accordingly.

He found a little hard old gentleman seated at a table covered with every variety of sealing-wax, blotting-paper, envelops, despatch-boxes, green-tapers, &c. &c. An immense fire was blazing in the grate, an immense sheet-almanac hung over that, a screen, three or four chairs, and a faded Turkey carpet, formed the rest of the furniture of this remarkable room, which I have described thus particularly, because in the course of a long official life, I have remarked that such is the invariable decoration of political rooms.

"Well, John," said the little hard old gentleman, pointing to an armchair, "I'm told you've been here since eleven. Why the deuce do you come so early?"

"I had important business," answered Mr. Perkins, stoutly, and as his uncle looked up with a comical expression of wonder, John began in a solemn tone to deliver a little speech which he had composed, and which proved him to be a very worthy, easy, silly fellow.

"Sir," said Mr. Perkins, "you have known for some time past the nature of my political opinions, and the intimacy which I have had the honour to form with one-with some of the leading members of the liberal party (a grin from Mr. Crampton), when first, by your kindness, I was promised the clerkship in the Tape-and-Sealing-Wax Office, my opinions were not formed as they are now; and having taken the advice of the gentlemen with whom I act (an enormous grin)—the advice I say of the gentlemen with whom I act, and the council likewise of my own conscience, I am compelled, with the deepest grief to say, my dear uncle, that I—that I—”

'That you what, sir!" exclaimed little Mr. Crampton, bouncing off his chair. "You don't mean to say that you are such a fool as to decline the place?"

"I do decline the place," said Perkins, whose blood rose at the word fool; "as a man of honour I cannot take it."

“Not take it, and how are you to live? on the rent of that house of yours; for by gad, sir, if you give up the clerkship, I never will give you a shilling.

"It cannot be helped," said Mr. Perkins, looking as much like a martyr as he possible could, and thinking himself a very fine fellow. "I have talents, sir, which I hope to cultivate, and am member of a profession by which a man may hope to rise to the very highest offices of the state."

"Profession, talents, offices of the state! are you mad, John Perkins, that you come to me with such insufferable twaddle as this. Why, do you think if you had been capable of rising at the bar, I would have taken so much trouble about getting you a place? No, sir, you are too fond of pleasure, and bed, and tea-parties, and small-talk, and reading novels, and playing the flute, and writing sonnets. You would no more rise at the bar than my messenger, sir; it was because I knew your disposition-that hopeless, careless, irresolute, good-humour of yours, that I had determined to keep you out of danger, by placing you in a snug shelter, where the storms of the world would not come near you. You must have principles, forsooth! and you must marry Miss Gorgon of course; and by the time you have gone ten circuits, and had six children, you will have eaten up every shilling of your wife's fortune, and be as briefless as you are now.

Who the deuce has

put all this nonsense into your head? I think I know."

Mr. Perkins's ears tingled as these hard words saluted them; and he scarcely knew whether he ought to knock his uncle down, or fall at his feet and say, "Uncle I have been a fool and I know it." The fact is, that in his interview with Miss Gorgon and her aunt, in the morning, when he came to tell them of the resolution he had formed to give up the place, both the ladies and John himself had agreed, with a thousand rapturous tears and exclamations, that he was one of the noblest

young men that ever lived, had acted as became himself, and might with perfect propriety give up the place, his talents being so prodigious that no power on earth could hinder him from being lord chancellor. Indeed John and Lucy had always thought the clerkship quite beneath him, and were not a little glad, perhaps, at finding a pretext for decently refusing it. But as Perkins was a young gentleman, whose candour was such that he was always swayed by the opinions of the last speaker, he did begin to feel now the truth of his uncle's statements, however disagreeable they might be.

Mr. Crampton continued

"I think I know the cause of your patriotism;-has not William Pitt Scully, Esq. had something to do with it?"

Mr. Perkins could not turn any redder than he was, but confessed with deep humiliation that "he had consulted Mr. Scully among other friends."

Mr. Crampton smiled-drew a letter from a heap before him, and tearing off the signature handed over the document to his nephew. It contained the following paragraphs :

# *

"Hawksby has sounded Scully: we can have him any day we want him. He talks very big at present, and says he would not take any thing under a *; this is absurd, He has a Yorkshire nephew coming up to town, and wants a place for him. There is one vacant in the Tape-office he says: have you not a promise of it?"

"I can't I can't believe it," said John: " this, sir, is some weak invention of the enemy. Scully is the most honourable man breathing." "Mr. Scully is a gentleman in a very fair way to make a fortune," answered Mr. Crampton. "Look you, John,-it is just as well for your sake that I should give you the news a few weeks before the papers, for I don't want you to be ruined if I can help it, as I don't wish to have you on my hands. We know all the particulars of Scully's history: he was a tory attorney at Oldborough: he was filled by the present Lady Gorgon: turned radical, and fought Sir George in his own borough. Sir George would have had the peerage he is dying for had he not lost that second seat (by the by, my lady will be here in five minutes), and Scully is now quite firm there. Well, my dear lad, we have bought your incorruptible Scully. Look here," and Mr. Crampton produced three Morning Posts.

"THE HONOURABLE HENRY HAWXBY'S DINNER-PARTY.-Lord So-and-So.-Duke of So-and-So.-W. Pitt Scully, Esq., M.P.' "Hawxby is our neutral, our dinner-giver.

"LADY DIANA DOLDRUM'S ROUT.-W. Pitt Scully, Esq., again.' "THE EARL OF MANTRAP'S GRAND DINNER.-A duke-four lords -Mr. Scully, and Sir George Gorgon.""

"Well, but I don't see how you have bought him: look at his votes."

"My dear John," said Mr. Crampton, jingling his watch-seals very complacently, "I am letting you into fearful secrets. The great common end of party is to buy your opponents-the great statesman buys them for nothing."

Here the attendant genius of Mr. Crampton made his appearance,

and whispered something, to which the little gentleman said, "Show her ladyship in," when the attendant disappeared.

"John," said Mr. Crampton, with a very queer smile, "you can't stay in this room while Lady Gorgon is with me; but there is a little clerk's room behind the screen there, where you can wait until I call you."

John retired, and as he closed the door of communication, strange to say, little Mr. Crampton sprung up and said, " Confound the young ninny, he has shut the door."

Mr. Crampton then remembering that he wanted a map in the next room, sprang into it; left the door half-open in coming out, and was in time to receive her ladyship with smiling face as she, ushered by Mr. Strongitharm, majestically sailed in.

(To be concluded in our next.)

THE MUSIC AND POETRY OF PRINCE ALBERT.

In the first debate in the House of Lords, consequent on Her Majesty's having announced in Parliament, her intention of allying herself with the fortunate member of the noble family of Saxe-Gotha, on whom she has since bestowed her royal hand, the Duke of Wellington is stated to have said, "It appears to me that the public ought to know something beyond the name of the prince." This observation was very just, for at the period at which his grace spoke the people of England possessed no information on which they could rely, concerning the future husband of their sovereign, except what had been conveyed to them in the speech from the throne, which merely stated, that he was "Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha." It is undeniable, however, that certain newspapers had endeavoured to remove the public ignorance, but by the means, only, of the most absurd mistatements, indicative alike of prejudice and incapacity-and in the absence of more trustworthy intelligence, they had made some progress in creating unfavourable impressions of his royal highness in the popular mind. This the zeal of those who were better informed, and more capable of doing justice to the subject, not only completely removed, but the mental, moral, and personal recommendations of the prince have been proved to be so far beyond what any reasonable being could have expected, that now the admiration of the English people appears to be only exceeded by their astonishment.

Of his personal gifts we are not now called upon to speak. His numerous appearances in public, and the seeming endless multiplication of his likeness, must have satisfied our readers that he is "a very proper man." Of his moral qualifications we have had evidence equally unanswerable, in accounts from individuals who have enjoyed opportunities for observing his brief but brilliant career. His character is

Vide Mr. Shoberl's "Prince Albert, and the House of Saxony."
March.-VOL. LVIII. NO. CCXXXI.

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