ose of the remainder of the time?"

"Zounds," replied Tom, "all my plans are deranged by this foolish affair
of Laconic's, and I can hardly tell which way to move.--However, I shall
not devote myself to his affairs to-day; therefore I am at your service;
and as time is but short with us, let us make good use of it. The
tragedy of the duel having ended most comically, I am prepared for any
thing farcical; therefore say the word, and I am your man for a toddle,
east, west, north, or south."

Upon this intimation, our friends sallied forth upon a sort of Quixotic
excursion in search of adventures, for neither could make up his mind
as to the precise place of their destination, when the first object that
attracted their particular notice was a large printed bill, announcing
to the public, "That the sale at Fonthill Abbey, advertised for the 8th
of October, would not take place, in consequence of the property being
disposed of by private contract."{1}

1 The following appeared in the daily prints relating to
this valuable property:--

"FONTHILL ABBEY. "The sale at this splendid mansion is not
to take place, the estate having been sold by private
contract; the purchaser is said to be Mr. Farquhar, a rich
East India merchant, who is reported to have given 330,000L.
for the property. It is stated that every article in the
Abbey goes with it, with the exception of the family plate
and pictures, and a very few favourite rarities. Possession
is to be taken immediately. The sale of the whole estate is
an event for which the people of the place seem to have been
totally unprepared. They were led to believe, from the
beginning, that nothing was to be sold but the mere luxuries
of the place; but as to the Abbey, they universally
asserted, in the strongest manner, as if they had good
reason to be convinced of the thing, that Mr. Beck-ford
would as soon part with his life as with a residence which
he prized so dearly. Now, however, that they have heard from
the steward, that the estate has been sold, and that he has
received notice to quit his office in a fortnight, they
begin to feel that they have lost an excellent landlord. Mr.
Beckford has taken a house in town, in the New Road, where
he means chiefly to reside in future. Every body is aware
that the chief part of that princely income, which enabled
h