Specimens of Death. 9 



"It would be wrong in me, Sir Jacob," said the apothecary, "not 

 to tell you, that what you suppose to be a dream, has actually taken 

 place." 



Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! Why rascal !" 



"I implore you to be calm, and hear me out, before you utterly 

 exhaust yourself. The unexpected circumstance of a band of those on 

 whom you had depended, voting against your nominee, produced such a 

 shock as, we are certain, a man of your great age, and long-standing 

 infirmities cannot possibly survive. Your friends have no apology 

 to make, for having brought you into the poor-house, because, as you are 

 well aware, it is the nearest asylum to those fatal hustings. Your time 

 is short, Sir Jacob 5 and, as I know you have nothing worldly to settle 

 your estates being all firmly entailed I solemnly advise you to occupy 

 your parting moments in prayer and penitence." 



" What's all this ? How dare you ? Why, scoundrel, you're a renegade 

 a whig a regenerator a visionary a march-of-intellect fool a 

 devotee of the new lights a schoolmaster abroad another Clavering ! 

 Is this my return for allowing you 200. a-year to keep up my interest 

 among your patients ?" 



" He's getting delirious, again, Dr. Clavering," said the apothecary, 

 " we had, as you say, better retire." 



" For taking up the dishonored bill they said your brother had forged? 

 for giving you villain that you are " 



* v Quite raving, you hear, Doctor : to remain longer would be madness 

 let us send in some of the paupers. Come along." 



The whig physician now evinced no inclination to withdraw, but the 

 borough apothecary shuffled him out of the room, talking, as they, 

 departed, loud enough to drown the upbraiding Baronet's voice. 



In a few moments a pale troop of paupers entered, and ranged them- 

 selves about Sir Jacob's bed. 



" What ! Eh ! How now !" exclaimed the Baronet, " A call of the 

 House ! Pair off Pair off ! Withdraw, I say Strangers withdraw !" 



"Ah, Squire," feebly muttered a grey-headed man, "I shall see thee 

 out a'ter all j thanks be to God !" 



" Order ! Order ! John ! Warbery ! Tom ! kick that shrivelled 

 carcase off. I know him ! I know him ! Thirty years a^o I haven't 

 seen him since he turned a Blue. What ! Here still ! I thought I had 

 thirty thousand a-year, and kept servants." 



" Thou didst truly," replied an old woman, " but they ha 1 deserted 

 thee in thy dying hour. Pray if thou hast a spark o' grace to be for- 

 given, for turning my poor old husband thy foster-brother, Sir Jacob 

 off the bit o' land he'd manured with the sweat of his brow, and all 

 because he couldn't vote for a villain of a Lord, who ruined and then 

 left our only child to perish of want and shame." 



" D n thee/' cried the old man, " if thee hadst but a little more life in 

 thee, I'd knock it out wi' my crutch." 



"When flesh is ninety, Richard," said another woman, interfering, 

 " 'tis a pure taking the bread out of Death's mouth to kill it. He wants 

 to doze and not hear us ; but I will wake him as if my voice was the 

 last trump. Let me get up to his ear. Hulloa ! Hulloa ! Sir Jacob ! 

 Sir Jacob ! Your borough's afire, and they're going to fry your soul in 



