f the fire comparatively unharmed, and I regret to say that he felt
but little for the terrible scorchings to which his friend had been
subjected and was about to subject himself. He was quite content to
look at the matter exactly as it was looked at by Mrs Roper. Amelia
was good enough for Joseph Cradell--any day of the week. Poor
Cradell, of whom in these pages after this notice no more will be
heard! I cannot but think that a hard measure of justice was meted
out to him, in proportion to the extent of his sins. More weak and
foolish than our friend and hero he had been, but not to my knowledge
more wicked. But it is to the vain and foolish that the punishments
fall;--and to them they fall so thickly and constantly that the
thinker is driven to think that vanity and folly are of all sins
those which may be the least forgiven. As for Cradell I may declare
that he did marry Amelia, that he did, with some pride, take the
place of master of the house at the bottom of Mrs Roper's table,
and that he did make himself responsible for all Mrs Roper's debts.
Of his future fortunes there is not space to speak in these pages.

Going away from the Crescent, Eames had himself driven to his office,
which he reached just as the men were leaving it, at four o'clock.
Cradell was gone, so that he did not see him on that afternoon; but
he had an opportunity of shaking hands with Mr Love, who treated
him with all the smiling courtesy due to an official bigwig,--for
a private secretary, if not absolutely a big-wig, is semi-big, and
entitled to a certain amount of reverence;--and he passed Mr Kissing
in the passage, hurrying along as usual with a huge book under his
arm. Mr Kissing, hurried as he was, stopped his shuffling feet;
but Eames only looked at him, hardly honouring him with the
acknowledgment of a nod of his head. Mr Kissing, however, was
not offended; he knew that the private secretary of the First
Commissioner had been the guest of an earl; and what more than a nod
could be expected from him? After that John made his way into the
august presence of Sir Raffle, and found that great man putting on
his shoes in the presence of FitzHoward. FitzHoward blushed; but the
shoes had not been touched by him, as he took occasion afterwards to
inform John Eames.

Sir Raffle was all smiles and civility. "Delighted to see you back,
Eames: am, upon my word; though I and FitzHoward have got on
capitally in your absence; haven't we, FitzHoward?