you."

"How could you promise?" cried Small, addressing our hero, when the
admiral and suite had left the counting-house.

"Because I can perform, sir," replied Joey; "I have the cows and sheep
for the _Zenobia_ and _Orestes_, as well as the fodder, all ready in the
town; we can get others for them to-morrow, and I know where to lay my
hands on everything else."

"Well, that's lucky! but there is no time to be lost."

Our hero, with his usual promptitude and activity, kept his promise;
and, as Mr Small said, it was lucky, for the prize-agency, in a few
months afterwards, proved worth to him nearly 5,000 pounds.

It is not to be supposed that Joey neglected his correspondence either
with Mary or Spikeman, although with the latter it was not so frequent.
Mary wrote to him every month; she had not many subjects to enter upon,
chiefly replying to Joey's communications, and congratulating him upon
his success. Indeed, now that our hero had been nearly four years with
Mr Small, he might be said to be a very rising and independent person.
His capital, which had increased very considerably, had been thrown into
the business, and he was now a junior partner, instead of a clerk, and
had long enjoyed the full confidence both of his superior and of Mr
Sleek, who now entrusted him with almost everything. In short, Joey was
in the fair way to competence and distinction.

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.

CHAPTER OF INFINITE VARIETY, CONTAINING AGONY, LAW, LOVE, QUARRELLING,
AND SUICIDE.

It may be a subject of interest on the part of the reader to inquire
what were the relative positions of Emma Phillips and our hero, now that
four years had passed, during which time he had been continually in her
company, and gradually, as he rose in importance, removing the distance
that was between them. We have only to reply that the consequences
natural to such a case did ensue. Every year their intimacy increased--
every year added to the hopes of our hero, who now no longer looked upon
an alliance with Emma as impossible; yet he still never felt sufficient
confidence in himself or his fortunes to intimate such a thought to her;
indeed, from a long habit of veneration and respect, he was in the
position of a subject before a queen who feels a partiality towards him;
he dared not give vent to his thoughts, and it remained for her to have
the unfeminine task of intimating to him that he might venture. But,
although to outward appearance