officer in the Royal Navy; we
are to be married on my return, if I'm not shot, assassinated, or
hanged in the meantime. U.B."

"Ah, Jeff," said my mother, "how I wish that you would--"

She stopped.

"I know what you're going to say," I returned, with a smile; "and there
_is_ a charming little--"

"Well, Jeff, why don't you go on?"

"Well, I don't see why I should not tell you, mother, that there _is_ a
charming little woman--the very best woman in the world--who has
expressed herself willing to--you understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

Reader, I would gladly make a confidant of yourself in this matter, and
tell you all about this charming little woman, if it were not for the
fact that she is standing at my elbow at this very minute, causing me to
make blots, and telling me not to write nonsense!

Before dismissing U. Biquitous, I may as well introduce here the last
meeting I had with him. It was a considerable time after the war was
over--after the "Congress" had closed its labours, and my friend had
settled--if such a term could be applied to one who never settled--near
London. Nicholas and I were sitting in a bower at the end of our
garden, conversing on the war which had been happily brought to a close.
Bella and my mother were seated opposite to us, the latter knitting a
piece of worsted-work, the size of whose stitches and needles was suited
to the weakness of her eyes, and the former busy with a pencil sketch of
the superb view of undulating woodland which stretched away for miles in
front of our house.

"No doubt it is as you state, Jeff," said Nicholas, in reply to my last
remark; "war is a miserable method of settling a dispute, quite unworthy
of civilised, to say nothing of Christian, men; but, then, how are we to
get along without it? It's of no use saying that an evil must be put
down--put a stop to--until you are able to show _how_ it is to be
stopped."

"That does not follow," said I, quickly; "it may be quite possible for
me to see, point out, and condemn an evil although I cannot suggest a
remedy and my earnest remonstrances regarding it may be useful in the
way of helping to raise a general outcry of condemnation, which may have
the effect of turning more capable minds than my own to the devising of
a remedy. Sea-sickness is a horrible malady; I perceive it, I know it
to be so. I loudly draw attention to the fact; I won't be silenced.
Hundreds, thousands, of other miserables take