e, and when he ~471~~ did break cover, went away at a
rattling pace,--let out at me in style, I can tell you. His affections
had been set on Lucy Markham ever since he had had any, and I had
been and destroyed the happiness of his whole life, and rendered him
a miserable individual--a mark for the finger of scorn to poke fun at.
Shocking bad names he did call himself, to be sure, poor little beggar!
till 'pon my word, I began to get quite sorry for him. At last it came
out, that the thing which chiefly aggravated him was, that Lucy should
have given him up for the sake of marrying a man of rank. If it had been
any one she was deeply attached to, he would not have so much minded;
but it was nothing but a paltry ambition to be a peeress; she was
mercenary, he knew it, and it was that which stung him to the quick.

"Well, as he said this, a bright idea flashed across me, that I could
satisfy the little 'victim,' as he called himself, and get my own neck
out of the collar, at one and the same time; so I went up to him, and
giving him a slap on the back that set him coughing like a broken-winded
hunter after a sharp burst, I said, 'Mr. Brown, I what the females call
sympathise with you;--your thing-em-bobs--sentiments, eh? are perfectly
correct, and do you credit. Now listen to me, young feller;--I'm
willing to do my best to accommodate you in this matter, and, if you're
agreeable, this is the way we'll settle it. You don't choose Lucy
should marry me, and I don't choose she should marry you;--now if you'll
promise to give her up, I'll do the same. That's fair, ain't it?' 'Do
you mean it really?' says he. 'Really and truly,' says I. 'Will you
swear?' says he. 'Like a trooper, if that will please you,' says I.
'Sir, you're a gentleman--a generous soul,' says he, quite overcome;
and, grasping my hand, sobs out, 'I'll promise'. 'Done, along with you,
drysalter,' says I, 'you're a trump;' and we shook hands till he got
so red in the face, I began to be afraid of spontaneous combustion.
'There's nothing like striking when the iron's hot,' thinks I; so I
made him sit down there and then, and we wrote a letter together to old
Coleman, telling him the resolution we had come to, and saying, if he
chose to bring an action for breach of promise of marriage against us,
we would defend it conjointly, and pay the costs between us. What do you
think of that, Master Frank? Eh?"

"That you certainly have a more wonderful knack of getting int