enough, the worse luck, the sowl, with an affected anxiety for my
welfare, must take up her residence, while in town, in the same house
with her dutiful nephew, that she may have the opportunity of watching
over him in his erratic pursuits, as she says, with maternal solicitude;
that is, in other words, to spy into all my actions, and bore me
everlastingly with her intolerable company. It was but the blessed
morning of yesterday that she took a fancy to exhibit her beautiful
person at the lounge in Bond-street;--by-the-bye, this same paragon of
perfection has passed her grand climacteric, being on the wrong side
of sixty;--is as thin as a lath and as tall as a May-pole;--speaks an
indescribable language of the mongrel kind, between Irish and Scotch, of
which she is profuse to admiration; and forgetting the antiquity of her
person, prides herself on the antiquity of her ancestry so much, that
she is said to bear a strong resemblance to her grandmother, judging
from the full-length portrait (painted seventy years ago,) of that
worthy progenitor of our family, who was a descendent, lineally,
from O'Brien king of Ulster, that she copies her dress on all public
occasions, to the great amusement and edification of the spectators; and
in these venerable habiliments she promenaded Bond-street, hanging on my
arm;--by the Powers, till I felt ashamed of my precious charge, for all
the world was abroad, and my reverend aunt was the universal magnet of
attraction."

"Well, and you find yourself comfortable," said Dashall,--"we have all
of us foibles, and why expect your aunt to be exempted from them?--Have
you any thing in expectance,--is she rich?"

~193~~ "Twenty thousand pounds, twice told," replied Sir Felix,
"sterling money of Great Britain, in which I have a reversionary
interest."

"Why then," said Tallyho, "you cannot do better than contribute all in
your power to her ease and pleasure; and in exercising this commendable
duty, you will gain present satisfaction, and may justly anticipate
future benefit."

"And," added Dashall, "if my Cousin or myself can by any means further
your object, in contributing towards the full attainment of your aunt's
amusement while she remains in town, you may command our services."

"By the powers of fortune," exclaimed the Baronet, "you have just given
me the opportunity I was wishing for; that is, I had a favour to ask,
but which I could not find courage enough to do, notwithstanding my