ted in my life,
that the opportuneness of this intervention signified a special action of
Providence.

The flattery of the thought served for an elixir. But with whom would my
father abide during my absence? Captain Bulsted and Julia saved me from a
fit of remorse; they had come up to town on purpose to carry him home
with them, and had left a message on my table, and an invitation to
dinner at their hotel, where the name of Janet was the Marino Faliero of
our review of Riversley people and old times. The captain and his wife
were indignant at her conduct. Since, however, I chose to excuse it, they
said they would say nothing more about her, and she was turned face to
the wall. I told them how Janet had taken him for months. 'But I 'll take
him for years,' said Julia. 'The truth is, Harry, my old dear! William
and I are never so united--for I'm ashamed to quarrel with him--as when
your father's at Bulsted. He belongs to us, and other people shall know
you 're not obliged to depend on your family for help, and your aunt
Dorothy can come and see him whenever she likes.'

That was settled. Captain Bulsted went with me to Lady Sampleman's to
prepare my father for the change of nurse and residence. We were informed
that he had gone down with Alderman Duke Saddlebank to dine at one of the
great City Companies' halls. I could hardly believe it. 'Ah! my dear Mr.
Harry,' said Lady Sampleman, 'old friends know one another best, believe
that, now. I treated him as if he was as well as ever he was, gave him
his turtle and madeira lunch; and Alderman Saddlebank, who lunched
here--your father used to say, he looks like a robin hopping out of a
larderquite jumped to dine him in the City like old times; and he will
see a great spread of plate!'

She thought my father only moderately unwell, wanting novelty. Captain
Bulsted agreed with me that it would be prudent to go and fetch him. At
the door of the City hall stood Andrew Saddlebank, grown to be simply a
larger edition of Rippenger's head boy, and he imparted to us that my
father was 'on his legs' delivering a speech: It alarmed me. With
Saddlebank's assistance I pushed in.

'A prince! a treacherous lover! an unfatherly man!'

Those were the words I caught: a reproduction of many of my phrases
employed in our arguments on this very subject.

He bade his audience to beware of princes, beware of idle princes; and
letting his florid fancy loose on these eminent persons, they were