the penalty,
Which here appeareth due."
"Tarry a little, there is something else."
--_Merchant of Venice_.

"Your looks are pale and wild,
and do import some misadventure."
--_Romeo and Juliet_.

ANY tender-hearted reader who may feel anxious concerning the fate of
the unjustly suspected Shrimp, will be glad to learn that this hopeful
candidate for the treadmill (not to mention a more airy and exalted
destiny), escaped his promised castigation, for, the moment we alighted,
Freddy Coleman dragged us into the library, and Lawless, in the
excitement of relating the morning's adventure, entirely forgot his
threatened vengeance. Lawless's account of the affair was, as may well
be imagined, ~441~~ rich in the extreme, worth walking barefoot twenty
miles to hear, Freddy Coleman declared afterwards; and an equally
laborious pilgrimage would have been quite repaid by witnessing the
contortions of delight with which the aforesaid Freddy listened to him.

"So you have positively settled the drysalter, and stand pledged to
marry my cousin Lucy, if she approve of you on further acquaintance?
What will you give me to hand her over to you?"

"Give you, eh? the soundest thrashing you ever had in your life--one
that will find you something to think about for the next fortnight,
and no mistake. The idea of putting the young woman's affections up to
auction! why, you're worse than your old governor, he only wants to sell
her to the highest bidder."

"Well, he's been sold himself this time, pretty handsomely," replied
Freddy; "I only hope it will be a lesson to him for the future."

"It strikes me he'd be all the better for a few more lessons of the
sort, eh? go through a regular 'educational course,' as they call it.
Governors nowadays get so dreadfully conceited and dictatorial--they
know best--and they will have this--and they won't have that. It's no
joke to be a son, I can tell you.--'Latchkey, sir! only let me hear of
your daring to introduce that profligate modern invention into my house,
and I'll cut you off with a shilling.'"

"'The most unkindest cut of all,'" quoted Freddy. "Worse than 'cut
behind' for the small boys, who indulge their locomotive propensities
by sitting on the spikes at the backs of carriages, eh?" said Lawless.
"Sharp set they must be, very!" put in Freddy. "Well, of all the vile
puns I ever heard, that, which I believe to be an old Joe Miller, is t