I still
maintain (said the little hump-backed man in the bright yellow
waistcoat, laughing); and you will acknowledge it when I tell you that,
soon after the occurrence just related, I bought a ticket in the
lottery, which turned out a prize of L20,000."

"Ha, ha! at last!" here shouted out, with one voice, all the little
man's auditors. "So you caught it at last!"

"Not so fast, gentlemen, if you please--not so fast," said the little
man, gravely. "The facts certainly were as I have stated. I did buy a
ticket in the lottery. I recollect the number well, and will as long as
I live. I chose it for its oddity. It was 9999, and it did turn out a
L20,000 prize. But there is a trifling particular or two regarding it
which I have yet to explain. A gentleman, an acquaintance of mine, to
whom I had expressed some regret at having ventured so much money on a
lottery ticket, offered not only to relieve me of it, but to give me a
premium of five pounds, subject to a deduction of the price of a bowl of
punch. "A bird in hand's worth two in the bush," thought I, and at once
closed with his offer. Nay, so well pleased was I with my bargain, that
I insisted on giving an additional bowl, and actually did so.

Next day, my ticket was drawn a twenty thousand pound prize! and I
had the happiness (added the little man, with a rueful expression of
countenance) of communicating to my friend his good luck, as the letter
of advice on the subject came, in the first instance, to me.

However, gentlemen, luck there was in the caul still, say I (continued
the little hump-backed gentleman in the bright yellow waistcoat). Love,
gentlemen--sweet, dear, delightful love!--(here the little man looked
extremely sentimental)--came to soothe my woes and banish my regrets.
Yes, my friends he said (observing a slight smile of surprise and
incredulity on the countenance of his auditors, proceeding, we need
hardly say, from certain impressions regarding his personal appearance),
I say that love--dear, delightful love--came now to my aid, to reconcile
me to my misfortunes, and to restore my equanimity. The objects of my
affections--for there were two----"

"Oh, unconscionable man!" we here all exclaimed in one breath. "Two! Ah!
too bad that."

"Yes, I repeat, two," said the little man composedly--"the objects of my
passion were two. The one was a beautiful girl of three-and-twenty--the
other, a beautiful little fortune of L10,000, of which she was in full