and take as much as he'll give you. You had better sprain your wrist in the seventh or eighth round, when the odds have risen to twelve to one, and give in about the twelfth."

"Well, sir, I'm always ready to act as the gentleman to any gentleman as is a gentleman. Can I have the five hundred down, sir?"

"No, no, Tom, do the work first, -you and I know each other. I'll give you no chance of selling me too. But come, time's up,-do as I say, and your money's safe."

The whole cavalcade now went up to the place where the commissarygeneral had extended the ropes. Sir Philip, the backer of the opposite party, dexterously slipped across, and whispered in Tom's ear,-"Win the battle, Tom, and I give ye half a thousand."

"The fool!" whispered our friend Tom to his bottleholder, as the baronet turned away, " if he had clapped on another hundred I would have won the battle in ten minutes."

It is useless to describe the fortunes of the fight. The odds rose to 23 on Tom; Bill to all appearance was dead beat, when, in the ninth round, the winning man dislocated his wrist, and, after taking an extraordinary quantity of punishment, and losing three of his teeth, went

down, and was deaf to the call of time. Both men were most terribly bruised, the eyes of both were cut and swelled amazingly, and the victor and vanquished were carried off upon shutters, and carefully put to bed. Meanwhile the two patrons of the ring got into their carriage once more, and returned quickly to town. They agreed to dine together that day. The Honourable Augustus Scamp paid over the two hundred pounds to Sir Philip, and cursed his bad luck in always backing the loser. They were in a private room, and both impatient for their dinner. "What the devil's the matter with Scott to-day?-he's generally as punctual as clock-work," said Sir Philip, "and I hear six striking in the coffee-room." As he said these words, the influence of the hour began!- !-with a bolt, and a shock of inconceivable pain, his three front teeth fell on the floorthe Honourable Mr Scamp's eyes became darkened-his body became a mass of contusions-and when the waiter opened the door to announce dinner, he found the two gentlemen extended on the floor, writhing in pain, and in every respect punished and bruised the same as their two champions in the morning.

"And this young man you talk of, this aristocratic plebeian, sir, resides at the Western Farm".

"He does, Mr Froth, and I don't at all like his appearance, I assure you."

"How so?-I thought you said his appearance was very prepossessing?"

"Too much so, I'm afraid. I can't persuade myself he is the rustic in reality he pretends to be."

"Romance for a thousand! ah! what a lucky dog I am! I shall go this moment and make his acquaintance, hear all his story, add a few items from my own imagination, and furbish up a three-volume novel directly, The Sentimental Unknown,' or 'The Rustic in the Wilds'-a good thought, ain't it, sir?"

"I'm no judge, Mr Froth-but all that I can say is, I don't like his rambling so much in my park; and I rather suspect my daughter Maria

knows more about him than we do." "Hem!-indeed! - that makes it a different matter; but you know, sir, I have your consent; as to the heart, it is a mere trifle in these matters. Miss Maria shall be Mrs Froth in three days;-for, a word in your ear, Sir Timothy-I think I shall make a bold push for it, and carry her off."

"Carry her off! How, sir!-carry off my own daughter when you have my consent to marry her?"

"Just so. I hate such commonplace marriages, where fiddling old fellows of fathers give the obedient couple their blessing, and every thing is carried on with the precision and solemnity of a funeral! No; give me the runaway match, -the galloping horses, the pursuit, -the paragraph in the newspapers! Zounds! the name of Froth shall make some noise in the world!"

" Mr Froth-sir-what do you

mean, sir, by inculcating such doctrine in my presence, talking disrespectfully of the paternal benediction"

"I beg pardon-don't get into a heat-'tis unpoetical"

"What do you mean, sir, by talking to me about poetical?"

'Tis unromantic, sir-'tis absurd." "Oh, I see-I see. Mr Froth, I certainly promised you my daughter's hand; but, sir, this is not the way to gain it."-Exit.

"The old gentleman seems in a rage to-day; so much the better for my work. A novel never takes with out a choleric old gentleman. But I must hie me to the Wester Farm, and hold commune with this rustic. In the meantime I shall keep my eye on Miss Maria. I shall hire some simple fellow to watch her, and give me notice of what she has been doing during my absence. Here, rusticpastoral-clod!"

"Ees, zur, here I bees," said the peasant thus addressed. "'Tis a fine day, peasant.-Now, respond to my interrogatories." "Thank ye, zur-the zame to you,

" Ees, zur."

"Well, now, this is my command to thee-keep strict watch here in my absence, and on no account permit the beautiful Miss Maria Morland, to whom I am going to be married shortly-you need not jump so, but listen to what I say-on no account, I say, allow her to go towards the Wester Farm. There is some scoundrel hiding himself there, whom I suspect to be some lover or other she must have met with at her aunt's in Leicestershire. I am going to find out his disguise, and lull his watchfulness to rest, for this very evening I have ordered my carriage to the corner of the hazel copse to carry

her off."

"Ees, zur-surely."

"So now be watchful, and silver coin shall chink in each pocket."Exit.

"To-night! this very night! Oh, my Maria, is this your constancyafter all the protestations you have made to me, to elope with such a paltry, contemptible blockhead! But how lucky he told me of their plans! I'll disconcert them. - Ha! Maria herself, coming this way. Who would believe that falsehood could dwell with so much beauty ?"

"Rawdon, dear Rawdon, I have only this moment been able to escape - What! you don't seem glad to

see me."

"You talk of making your escape, Miss Morland,-you are an adept at making an escape."

" What mean you? Have I done any thing to offend you?"

Mr Froth, madam, has this moment informed me of your projected elopement this evening."

"Elopement!-this evening-you are dreaming."

"I was not dreaming when I heard the conceited fool declare he was to carry you off to-night; that his carriage was to be at the door-and that he

was to marry you immediately." "Ha! ha!-it is only some contemptible invention of my miserable admirer-Elope with him! no, never with him."

"Is it with any one else, then? I may have misunderstood."

"With any one else? Why, how should I know? no one else has asked me."

"Eh? what? Fool, fool that I have been all this time! Forgive me, dearest Maria, but I am worried past endurance by the concealment which you yourself recommended; why not let me reveal my name and rank at once to your father, and claim""Oh, he can't hear of it! I tell you he is under a solemn obligation to give Mr Froth his vote and interest for my hand; but-but"

"But what, my angel? Speak on." "But-if-you know if I were fairly marr-I mean if you knowwhy, how slow you are, Rawdon!" "Slow!-never was such an angelic, dear, delightful-we'll elope before them; Froth may elope by himself, if he likes. We'll be off this very day-this very hour-but, confound my ill-luck, I left my carriage twenty miles off, at the Falcon."

"Ah! how unfortunate! could you not have brought your carriage to the farm?"

"With these clothes? in this disguise, Maria?" "No; I see it was impossible. Hush, here's Mr Froth."

"Ha! Bumpkin, still here? that's right, my boy, there's a crown for you-abscond, but wait at a little distance; I shall discourse with thee anon. Your admirer, Miss Morland, at the farm, is one of the cleverest fellows in England."

" My admirer at the farm, Mr Froth! you surprise me."

"I knew I should; I always like to surprise the ladies. But positively he's a capital hit; he'll carry through the third volume swimmingly; such a power of face; such a twang; and such matchless impudence in denying that he was anything but what he seemed. I told him I knew it all; that he was a gentleman; that he was in love with you, and to all that I said, he only opened his great saucer eyes and said, Zurely, zurely, zur.' Oh, 'twas inf infinitely provocative of

cachinnation!"

at half-past five-get all your things into it-slip quietly out yourselffour admirable posters-pistols in the pockets. I have already put a purse under the seat, to pay as we go along. Ha! that's your sort!you'll do it?" "Perhaps."

"Thank ye, thank ye-here by this kiss I swear!"

"Zur, zur, here be Zur Timothy." "Shepherd, never interrupt people on the point of kissing, 'tis cruelha! Miss Morland gone! - Well, clodpole, what didst thou remark in my absence?"

"Efaiks! the young woman an' me-uz got on prodigious foineees."

"You did? but she seemed to have no inclination to go on to the farm?"

"Noa-she stayed where she was -she zeemed well enough pleased wi' I."

"She is a lady of great discernment. But stay-I shall need your services again. Be punctually at the hazel copse at half-past five. You will there see a carriage and four-help Miss Morland into it, and allow no one to go near her except yourself, till I come. You may stay beside her to protect her in my absence." "Ees, zur, I'll purtect she wi' my life."

Good-rustic, thou art not the fool in the world."

greatest fool in the

"

tho'."

Noa, zur-I be next to un,

"Thou'rt modest; be punctualbe faithful, and another crown rewards thy fidelity."-Exit.

"Well, this is better than I could possibly have expected-let me see -four o'clock. I'll go to the farm, make all my arrangements, and be ready to take advantage of my good fortune at half-past five."

At half-past five a carriage with four posters was waiting at the appointed place. Miss Morland tripped quickly from the hall, and was received by her disguised admirer. "Dearest Maria, this is so kind."

"Hush, hush-Mr Froth will be here instantly. I saw him with papa in the shrubbery, as I passed."

"Well, jump into the carriage, we must borrow Mr Froth's. Now, I'm lion, and drive like a whirlwind." in after you; shut the door, posti "Please, sir," said the postilion,

Mum's the word," said Jack, and put foot in stirrup.

"Ho! ho! wo! stop there!" cried Mr Froth, running at the top of his speed, followed in the distance by Sir Timothy; "stop, you cursed postilion, that rustic is not I-that's my carriage. Miss Morland, for God's sake, stop! Rustic! bumpkin !"

your carriage and well-laid scheme. My name is Sir Henry Rawdon, and, by the light of heaven, if you move one step nearer, I'll blow out your brains with your own pistol-drive on!"

The carriage swept along at the rate of sixteen miles an hour, and Mr Froth could only say to Sir Timothy as he approached, "Done, by Jupiter! my carriage, my pistols, my money, my plan, my every thing-it will be a brilliant event before the

Finis. Can't we pursue them, sir?" "My horses are lame, Mr Froth." "But mine are in the stable."

Froth."

SIR,

CONTROVERSY must have an end. Looking only to the main subjects of that which you allowed me to conduct in your number of March, I might indeed be well content to leave it where it is; because, in the few remarks which are to be found in the last number of the New Monthly Magazine, the other party has not attempted to controvert any one single fact, or to dispute any one argument, of those which I had adduced. If, then, that writer be deemed a competent champion, I have a perfect right to assume, that I have established beyond dispute the positions for which I contended in the Foreign Quarterly Review, and in your Magazine. In hard words, I fear, I must acknowledge myself beaten; but, in facts and deductions, I am confessedly triumphant. I should therefore leave the matter here, if my opponent had not attempted to vilify my personal conduct. It is not because I apprehend that my character can suffer from an anonymous attack, that I notice this assault, but chiefly because I am always desirous of coming to close quarters; and as I never write a paragraph which I am not ready to

defend, so neither will I willingly permit one to be directed against me, without meeting it, point by point, openly, and without evasion.

It is first said, that in stating that Mr Stapleton's error consisted in misrepresenting, not Mr Canning, but Lord Castlereagh, I have abandoned the most important position of my reviews; and have admitted that Mr Stapleton's description of Mr Canning's management of affairs is accurate. In reference to the point to which I was referring, (the Naples circular,) Mr Stapleton's error lay, certainly, in misrepresenting Lord Castlereagh rather than Mr Canning; but it is absolutely impossible that he who read my letter, could really doubt that I continued to impute to Mr Stapleton, also, a misrepresentation of Mr Canning's principles and conduct. This is an ingenious ingenious method of evading a dispute which it is inconvenient to prolong.

I ask, what position, which is to be found in my reviews, have I abandoned?-what statement, made by me, have I recanted?

The writer then, using the figure of speech called Omission, expresses his readiness to pass by my "sneers at the amiable prejudices" + of Mr