eyes, brief petticoats,
and unexceptionable ankles.

'Walter, my dear,' said the young lady to the military gentleman.

'Yes, Belinda, my love,' responded the military gentleman to the
black-eyed young lady.

'What have you left me alone so long for?' said the young lady. 'I have
been stared out of countenance by those rude young men.'

'What! stared at?' exclaimed the military gentleman, with an emphasis
which made Mr. Cymon Tuggs withdraw his eyes from the young lady's face
with inconceivable rapidity. 'Which young men--where?' and the military
gentleman clenched his fist, and glared fearfully on the cigar-smokers
around.

'Be calm, Walter, I entreat,' said the young lady.

'I won't,' said the military gentleman.

'Do, sir,' interposed Mr. Cymon Tuggs. 'They ain't worth your notice.'

'No--no--they are not, indeed,' urged the young lady.

'I _will_ be calm,' said the military gentleman. 'You speak truly, sir.
I thank you for a timely remonstrance, which may have spared me the guilt
of manslaughter.' Calming his wrath, the military gentleman wrung Mr.
Cymon Tuggs by the hand.

'My sister, sir!' said Mr. Cymon Tuggs; seeing that the military
gentleman was casting an admiring look towards Miss Charlotta.

'My wife, ma'am--Mrs. Captain Waters,' said the military gentleman,
presenting the black-eyed young lady.

'My mother, ma'am--Mrs. Tuggs,' said Mr. Cymon. The military gentleman
and his wife murmured enchanting courtesies; and the Tuggses looked as
unembarrassed as they could.

'Walter, my dear,' said the black-eyed young lady, after they had sat
chatting with the Tuggses some half-hour.

'Yes, my love,' said the military gentleman.

'Don't you think this gentleman (with an inclination of the head towards
Mr. Cymon Tuggs) is very much like the Marquis Carriwini?'

'Lord bless me, very!' said the military gentleman.

'It struck me, the moment I saw him,' said the young lady, gazing
intently, and with a melancholy air, on the scarlet countenance of Mr.
Cymon Tuggs. Mr. Cymon Tuggs looked at everybody; and finding that
everybody was looking at him, appeared to feel some temporary difficulty
in disposing of his eyesight.

'So exactly the air of the marquis,' said the military gentleman.

'Quite extraordinary!' sighed the military gentleman's lady.

'You don't know the marquis, sir?' inquired the military gentleman.

Mr. Cymon Tuggs stammered a negative.

'If you did,' continued Captain Wal