the speechifying, and all that. But, Lord! uncle, what's the
matter?' continued the excited little man, as Dumps stood with one shoe
on, rummaging his pockets with the most frightful distortion of visage.
'What have you lost? Your pocket-book?'

'No,' returned Dumps, diving first into one pocket and then into the
other, and speaking in a voice like Desdemona with the pillow over her
mouth.

'Your card-case? snuff-box? the key of your lodgings?' continued
Kitterbell, pouring question on question with the rapidity of lightning.

'No! no!' ejaculated Dumps, still diving eagerly into his empty pockets.

'Not--not--the _mug_ you spoke of this morning?'

'Yes, the _mug_!' replied Dumps, sinking into a chair.

'How _could_ you have done it?' inquired Kitterbell. 'Are you sure you
brought it out?'

'Yes! yes! I see it all!' said Dumps, starting up as the idea flashed
across his mind; 'miserable dog that I am--I was born to suffer. I see
it all: it was the gentlemanly-looking young man!'

'Mr. Dumps!' shouted the greengrocer in a stentorian voice, as he ushered
the somewhat recovered godfather into the drawing-room half an hour after
the above declaration. 'Mr. Dumps!'--everybody looked at the door, and
in came Dumps, feeling about as much out of place as a salmon might be
supposed to be on a gravel-walk.

'Happy to see you again,' said Mrs. Kitterbell, quite unconscious of the
unfortunate man's confusion and misery; 'you must allow me to introduce
you to a few of our friends:--my mamma, Mr. Dumps--my papa and sisters.'
Dumps seized the hand of the mother as warmly as if she was his own
parent, bowed _to_ the young ladies, and _against_ a gentleman behind
him, and took no notice whatever of the father, who had been bowing
incessantly for three minutes and a quarter.

'Uncle,' said little Kitterbell, after Dumps had been introduced to a
select dozen or two, 'you must let me lead you to the other end of the
room, to introduce you to my friend Danton. Such a splendid fellow!--I'm
sure you'll like him--this way,'--Dumps followed as tractably as a tame
bear.

Mr. Danton was a young man of about five-and-twenty, with a considerable
stock of impudence, and a very small share of ideas: he was a great
favourite, especially with young ladies of from sixteen to twenty-six
years of age, both inclusive. He could imitate the French-horn to
admiration, sang comic songs most inimitably, and had the most
insinuating way of s