d of it."

"Well," said Squire Headlong, "I have made up my mind to it, and you
must not disappoint me."

"To be sure, I won't, if I can help it," said Sir Patrick. "And pray,
now, who is that I am to be turning into Lady O'Prism?"

"Miss Graziosa Chromatic," said the squire.

"Och violet and vermilion!" said Sir Patrick; "though I never thought of
it before, I dare say she will suit me as well as another; but then you
must persuade the ould Orpheus to draw out a few notes of rather a more
magical description than those he is so fond of scraping on his crazy
violin."

"To be sure, he shall," said the squire; and immediately returning to
Mr. Chromatic, concluded the negotiation for Sir Patrick as
expeditiously as he had done for himself.

The squire next addressed himself to Mr. Escot: "Here are three couples
of us going to throw off together, with the Reverend Doctor Gaster for
whipper in. Now I think you cannot do better than to make the fourth
with Miss Cephalis."

"Indeed?" said Mr. Escot. "Nothing would be more agreeable to both of us
than such an arrangement; but the old gentleman since I first knew him
has changed like the rest of the world, very lamentably for the worse.".

"I'll settle him," said Squire Headlong; and immediately posted up to
Mr. Cranium, informing him that four marriages were about to take place
by way of a merry winding up of the Christmas festivities. "In the first
place," said the squire, "my sister and Mr. Foster; in the second, Miss
Graziosa Chromatic and Sir Patrick O'Prism; in the third, Miss Tenorina
Chromatic and your humble servant; and in the fourth, to which, by the
by, your consent is wanted, your daughter----"

"And Mr. Panscope," said Mr. Cranium.

"And Mr. Escot," said Squire Headlong. What would you have better? He
has ten thousand virtues."

"So has Mr. Panscope. He has ten thousand a year."

"Virtues?" said Squire Headlong.

"Pounds," said Mr. Cranium.

"Who fished you out of the water?" said Squire Headlong..

"What is that to the purpose?" said Mr. Cranium. "The whole process of
the action was mechanical and necessary. He could no more help jumping
into the water than I could help falling into it."

"Very well," said the squire. "Your daughter and Mr. Escot are
necessitated to love one another."

Mr. Cranium, after a profound reverie, said, "Do you think Mr. Escot
would give me that skull?"

"Skull?" said Squire Headlong.

"Yes," said Mr. Cranium. "T