rdship is very well?' said Malderton, in a tone of
the greatest interest. It is scarcely necessary to say that, until that
moment, he had been quite innocent of the existence of such a person.

'Why, yes; he was very well--very well indeed. He's a devilish good
fellow. I met him in the City, and had a long chat with him. Indeed,
I'm rather intimate with him. I couldn't stop to talk to him as long as
I could wish, though, because I was on my way to a banker's, a very rich
man, and a member of Parliament, with whom I am also rather, indeed I may
say very, intimate.'

'I know whom you mean,' returned the host, consequentially--in reality
knowing as much about the matter as Flamwell himself.--'He has a capital
business.'

This was touching on a dangerous topic.

'Talking of business,' interposed Mr. Barton, from the centre of the
table. 'A gentleman whom you knew very well, Malderton, before you made
that first lucky spec of yours, called at our shop the other day, and--'

'Barton, may I trouble you for a potato?' interrupted the wretched master
of the house, hoping to nip the story in the bud.

'Certainly,' returned the grocer, quite insensible of his
brother-in-law's object--'and he said in a very plain manner--'

'_Floury_, if you please,' interrupted Malderton again; dreading the
termination of the anecdote, and fearing a repetition of the word 'shop.'

'He said, says he,' continued the culprit, after despatching the potato;
'says he, how goes on your business? So I said, jokingly--you know my
way--says I, I'm never above my business, and I hope my business will
never be above me. Ha, ha!'

'Mr. Sparkins,' said the host, vainly endeavouring to conceal his dismay,
'a glass of wine?'

'With the utmost pleasure, sir.'

'Happy to see you.'

'Thank you.'

'We were talking the other evening,' resumed the host, addressing
Horatio, partly with the view of displaying the conversational powers of
his new acquaintance, and partly in the hope of drowning the grocer's
stories--'we were talking the other night about the nature of man. Your
argument struck me very forcibly.'

'And me,' said Mr. Frederick. Horatio made a graceful inclination of the
head.

'Pray, what is your opinion of woman, Mr. Sparkins?' inquired Mrs.
Malderton. The young ladies simpered.

'Man,' replied Horatio, 'man, whether he ranged the bright, gay, flowery
plains of a second Eden, or the more sterile, barren, and I may say,
commo