and suicidial cast, had now subsided into one of Mr.
Bungay's back shops as reader for that gentleman; and Captain Sumph,
an ex-beau reader about town, and related in some indistinct manner to
Literature and the Peerage. He was said to have written a book once, to
have been a friend of Lord Byron, to be related to Lord Sumphington; in
fact, anecdotes of Byron formed his staple, and he seldom spoke but with
the name of that poet or some of his contemporaries in his mouth, as
thus: "I remember poor Shelley, at school being sent up for good for a
copy of verses, every line of which I wrote, by Jove;" or, "I recollect,
when I was at Missolonghi with Byron, offering to bet gamba," and
so forth. This gentleman, Pen remarked, was listened to with great
attention by Mrs. Bungay; his anecdotes of the aristocracy, of which
he was a middle-aged member, delighted the publisher's lady; and he was
almost a greater man than the great Mr. Wagg himself in her eyes. Had
he but come in his own carriage, Mrs. Bungay would have made her Bungay
purchase any given volume from his pen.

Mr. Bungay went about to his guests as they arrived, and did the honours
of his house with much cordiality. "How are you, sir? Fine day, sir.
Glad to see you year, sir. Flora, my love, let me ave the honour of
introducing Mr. Warrington to you. Mr. Warrington, Mrs. Bungay; Mr.
Pendennis, Mrs. Bungay. Hope you've brought good appetites with you,
gentlemen. You, Doolan, I know ave, for you've always ad a deuce of a
twist."

"Lor, Bungay!" said Mrs. Bungay.

"Faith, a man must be hard to please, Bungay, who can't eat a good
dinner in this house," Doolan said, and he winked and stroked his lean
chops with his large gloves; and made appeals of friendship to Mrs.
Bungay, which that honest woman refused with scorn from the timid man.
"She couldn't abide that Doolan," she said in confidence to her friends.
Indeed, all his flatteries failed to win her.

As they talked, Mrs. Bungay surveying mankind from her window, a
magnificent vision of an enormous grey cab-horse appeared, and neared
rapidly. A pair of white reins, held by small white gloves, were visible
behind it; a face pale, but richly decorated with a chin-tuft, the head
of an exiguous groom bobbing over the cab-head--these bright things were
revealed to the delighted Mrs. Bungay. "The Honourable Percy Popjoy's
quite punctual, I declare," she said, and sailed to the door to be in
waiting at the nobleman's ar