of his mad pranks upon a lord of the
Admiralty!" What will not madness dare?

His lordship, having taken snuff very solemnly, and looked round him
with a calm circumspection, fixing his dull eye upon me, and wagging his
head, with an equable motion, slowly up and down, spoke as follows:--

"There is a Providence above us all. It is seen, Mr Rattlin, in the
fall of a sparrow--it has protected our glorious institutions--it has
sanctified the pillars of the State. Providence is, Mr Rattlin--do you
really know what Providence is? I ask you the question advisedly--I
always speak advisedly--I ask you, do you know what Providence is? Do
not speak; interruptions are unseemly--there are few who interrupt me.
Providence, young man, has brought me on board this frigate to-day--the
wind is north-easterly, what there is of it may increase my catarrh--
there is the hand of Providence in everything. I promised my most
honourable friend that I would see you as you are--how equipped, how
lodged, how `cabined, cribbed, confined.' Apt quotation!--you are
cabined--you are cribbed--you are confined--_cribbed_--look at your
countenance--as I said before, 'tis the hand of Providence--"

"Begging your lordship's pardon," said Reud, submissively, with the
dubious twinkle in his eye for interrupting a nobleman who is so seldom
interrupted--"I rather think that it was the fist of Pigtop."

"Pigtop!--Providence--my quotation. Captain Reud, I have not really the
pleasure of understanding you. This young gentleman who has been so
lately under the chastening hand of Providence--"

"Pigtop."

"Is now about to receive from that bountiful hand some of the choicest
gifts it is in the happiness of man to receive--rank, wealth, a father's
blessing. Oh! 'tis too much--I am affected--what can I possibly do with
him with those black eyes? Mr Ralph Rattlin, you have not yet spoken
to me--indeed, how can you? What words would be sufficiently expressive
of--of--what you ought to express! Captain Reud, don't you find this
scene rather affecting? Young gentleman, I am here to verify you--are
you fully prepared, sir, to be, as it were, verified?"

"My lord, my lord, I am bursting with impatience!"

"Bursting with impatience! The scene is affecting, certainly--
touching--complete, with the exception of the black eyes. What would
not Miss Burney make of it in one of her admirable novels! But you
might have made use of a better word than burs