uld hear my aunt praise her! I
have to take Maria down to dinner; to sit by the piano and listen to her
songs in all languages. Do you know Maria can sing Hungarian and Polish,
besides your common German, Spanish, and Italian? Those I have at our
other agents', Baynes and Jolly's--Baynes's that is in the Regent's
Park, where the girls are prettier and just as civil to me as at Aunt
Hobson's." And here Clive would amuse us by the accounts which he gave
us of the snares which the Misses Baynes, those young sirens of Regent's
Park, set for him; of the songs which they sang to enchant him, the
albums in which they besought him to draw--the thousand winning ways
which they employed to bring him into their cave in York Terrace. But
neither Circe's smiles nor Calypso's blandishments had any effect on
him; his ears were stopped to their music, and his eyes rendered dull to
their charms by those of the flighty young enchantress with whom my wife
had of late made acquaintance.

Capitalist though he was, our young fellow was still very affable. He
forgot no old friends in his prosperity; and the lofty antique chambers
would not unfrequently be lighted up at nights to receive F. B. and some
of the old cronies of the Haunt, and some of the Gandishites, who,
if Clive had been of a nature that was to be spoiled by flattery, had
certainly done mischief to the young man. Gandish himself, when Clive
paid a visit to that illustrious artist's Academy, received his former
pupil as if the young fellow had been a sovereign prince almost,
accompanied him to his horse; and would have held his stirrup as he
mounted; whilst the beautiful daughters of the house waved adieus to
him from the parlour-window. To the young men assembled in his Gandish
studio, was never tired of talking about Clive. The Professor would
take occasion to inform them that he had been to visit his distinguished
young friend, Mr. Newcome, son of Colonel Newcome; that last evening
he had been present at an elegant entertainment at Mr. Newcome's news
apartments. Clive's drawings were hung up in Gandish's gallery,
and pointed out to visitors by the worthy Professor. On one or two
occasions, I was allowed to become a bachelor again, and participate
in these jovial meetings. How guilty my coat was on my return home; how
haughty the looks of the mistress of my house, as she bade Martha carry
away the obnoxious garment! How grand F. B. used to be as president of
Clive's smoking-par