verses of fortune, he should be
compelled by persecuting creditors to fly his native shores, law could
not impair the competence it had settled upon Mrs. Poole, nor destroy
her blessed privilege to share that competence with a beloved spouse.
Insolvency itself, thus protected by a marriage settlement, realises the
sublime security of VIRTUE immortalised by the Roman muse:

--"Repulse nescia sordidae,
Intaminatis fulget honoribus;
Nec sumit ant ponit secures
Arbitrio popularis aurae."

Mr. Poole was an active man in the parish vestry--he was a sound
politician--he subscribed to public charities--he attended public
dinners he had votes in half a dozen public institutions--he talked
of the public interests, and called himself a public man. He chose his
associates amongst gentlemen in business--speculative, it is true,
but steady. A joint-stock company was set up; he obtained an official
station at its board, coupled with a salary--not large, indeed, but
still a salary.

"The money," said Adolphus Samuel Poole, "is not my object; but I like
to have something to do." I cannot say how he did something, but no
doubt somebody was done.

Mr. Poole was in his parlour, reading letters and sorting papers, before
he departed to his office in the West End. Mrs. Poole entered, leading
an infant who had not yet learned to walk alone, and denoting, by an
interesting enlargement of shape, a kindly design to bless that infant,
at no distant period, with a brother or sister, as the case might be.

"Come and kiss Pa, Johnny," said she to the infant. "Mrs. Poole, I am
busy," growled Pa.

"Pa's busy--working hard for little Johnny. Johnny will be better for it
some day," said Mrs. Poole, tossing the infant half up to the ceiling,
in compensation for the loss of the paternal kiss.

"Mrs. Poole, what do you want?"

"May I hire Jones's brougham for two hours to-day, to pay visits? There
are a great many cards we ought to leave; is there any place where I
should leave a card for you, lovey--any person of consequence you were
introduced to at Mrs. Haughton's last night? That great man they were
all talking about, to whom you seemed to take such a fancy, Samuel,
duck--"

"Do get out! that man insulted me, I tell you."

"Insulted you! No; you never told me."

"I did tell you last night coming home."

"Dear me, I thought you meant that Mr. Hartopp."

"Well, he almost insulted me, too. Mrs. Poo