ong whom, I hope, my dear Lady Griffin
will allow me to rank her. Will you excuse so unceremonious an
invitation, and dine with us at the embassy to-day? We shall be en
petite comite, and shall have the pleasure of hearing, I hope, some of
your charming daughter's singing in the evening. I ought, perhaps, to
have addressed a separate, note to dear Miss Griffin; but I hope she
will pardon a poor diplomate, who has so many letters to write, you
know.

"Farewell till seven, when I POSITIVELY MUST see you both. Ever, dearest
Lady Griffin, your affectionate

"ELIZA BOBTAIL."

Such a letter from the ambassdriss, brot by the ambasdor's Shassure, and
sealed with his seal of arms, would affect anybody in the middling ranx
of life. It droav Lady Griffin mad with delight; and, long before my
master's arrivle, she'd sent Mortimer and Fitzclarence, her two footmin,
along with a polite reply in the affummatiff.

Master read the noat with no such fealinx of joy. He felt that there
was somethink a-going on behind the seans, and, though he could not tell
how, was sure that some danger was near him. That old fox of a father of
his had begun his M'Inations pretty early!

Deuceace handed back the letter; sneared, and poohd, and hinted that
such an invitation was an insult at best (what he called a pees ally);
and, the ladies might depend upon it, was only sent because Lady Bobtail
wanted to fill up two spare places at her table. But Lady Griffin and
Miss would not have his insinwations; they knew too fu lords ever to
refuse an invitatium from any one of them. Go they would; and poor
Deuceace must dine alone. After they had been on their ride, and had had
their other amusemince, master came back with them, chatted, and laft;
he was mighty sarkastix with my lady; tender and sentrymentle with Miss;
and left them both in high sperrits to perform their twollet, before
dinner.

As I came to the door (for I was as famillyer as a servnt of the house),
as I came into the drawing-room to announts his cab, I saw master very
quietly taking his pocket-book (or pot fool, as the French call it) and
thrusting it under one of the cushinx of the sofa. What game is this?
thinx I.

Why, this was the game. In abowt two hours, when he knew the ladies were
gon, he pretends to be vastly anxious abowt the loss of his potfolio;
and back he goes to Lady Griffinses to seek for it there.

"Pray," says he, on going in, "ask Miss Kicksey if I may see her for