n shipped for him to Dublin by the _Fair Venus_, with
a proper person in charge, on the Thursday morning previous. Good Mrs.
Mason, his landlady, had no idea what was causing the awful commotion in
the captain's room; the fitful and violent soliloquies; the stamping of
the captain up and down the floor; and the contusions, palpably,
suffered by her furniture. The captain's temper was not very pleasant
that evening, and he was fidgety and feverish besides, expecting every
moment a note from town to apprise him of its arrival.

However, he walked up to Belmont a week or two after, and had a very
consolatory reception from Aunt Becky. He talked upon his old themes,
and upon the subject of Puddock, was, as usual, very friendly and
intercessorial; in fact, she showed at last signs of yielding.

'Well, Captain Cluffe, tell him if he cares to come, he _may_ come, and
be on the old friendly footing; but be sure you tell him he owes it all
to _you_.'

And positively, as she said so, Aunt Rebecca looked down upon her fan;
and Cluffe thought looked a little flushed, and confused too; whereat
the gallant fellow was so elated that he told her all about the pelican,
discarding as unworthy of consideration, under circumstances so
imminently promising, a little plan he had formed of keeping the bird
privately in Dublin, and looking out for a buyer.

Poor little Puddock, on the other hand, had heard, more than a week
before this message of peace arrived, the whole story of Gertrude's
engagement to Lord Dunoran, as we may now call Mr. Mervyn, with such
sensations as may be conjectured. His heart, of course, was torn; but
having sustained some score of similar injuries in that region upon
other equally harrowing occasions, he recovered upon this with all
favourable symptoms, and his wounds healed with the first intention. He
wore his chains very lightly, indeed. The iron did not enter into his
soul; and although, of course, 'he could never cease but with his life
to dwell upon the image of his fleeting dream--the beautiful nymph of
Belmont,' I have never heard that his waist grew at all slimmer, or that
his sleep or his appetite suffered during the period of his despair.

The good little fellow was very glad to hear from Cluffe, who patronised
him most handsomely, that Aunt Rebecca had consented to receive him once
more into her good graces.

'And the fact is, Puddock, I think I may undertake to promise you'll
never again be misunde