THE BOARDING-HOUSE. 183 



" Do you see," said the connoisseur, placing Wisbottle in the right 

 position " a little more this way : there do you see how splen- 

 didly the light falls upon the left side of that broken chimney-pot at 

 No. 48?" 



" Dear me I see/' replied Wisbottle in a tone of admiration. 



" Never saw an object stand out so beautifully against the clear 

 sky in my life," ejaculated Alfred. Every body (except John Evenson) 

 echoed the sentiment, for Mr. Tomkins had a great character for 

 finding out beauties which no one else could discover he certainly 

 deserved it. 



" I have frequently observed a chimney-pot in College-street, 

 Dublin, which has a much better effect," said the patriotic O Bleary, 

 who never allowed Ireland to be outdone on any point. 



The assertion was received with obvious incredulity, for Mr. 

 Tomkins declared that no other chimney-pot in the United King- 

 dom, broken or unbroken, could be so beautiful as the one at 

 No. 48. 



The room door was suddenly thrown open, and Agnes appeared 

 leading in Mrs. Bloss, who was dressed in a geranium- coloured 

 muslin gown, and displayed a gold watch of the dimensions of a 

 breakfast-cup ; a chain like a gilt street-door chain, and a splendid 

 assortment of rings, with stones about the size of half-crowns. A 

 general rush was made for a chair, and a regular introduction took 

 place. Mr. John Evenson made a slight inclination of the head : 

 Mr. Frederick O'Bleary, Mr. Alfred Tomkins, and Mr. Wisbottle 

 bowed like the mandarins in a grocer's sho'p ; and Tibbs rubbed his 

 hands, and went round in circles. He was observed to close one 

 eye, and to assume a clock-work sort of expression with the other; 

 this has been considered as a wink, and it has been reported that 

 Agnes was its object. We repel the calumny, and challenge contra- 

 diction. 



Mrs. Tibbs inquired after Mrs. Bloss's health in a low tone. Mrs. 

 Bloss, with a supreme contempt for the memory of Lindley Murray, 

 answered the various questions in a most satisfactory manner ; and a 

 pause ensued, during which the eatables disappeared with awful 

 rapidity. 



" You must have been very much pleased with the appearance of 

 the ladies going to the drawing-room the other day, Mr. O'Bleary?" 

 said Mrs. Tibbs, hoping to start a topic. 



et Yes ;" replied Orson, with a mouthful of toast. 



" Never saw any thing like it before, I suppose ?" suggested Wis- 

 bottle. 



" No except the Lord Lieutenant's levees," replied O'Bleary. 



" Are they at all equal to our drawing-rooms ?" 



" Oh, infinitely superior." 



" 'Gad I don't know," said the aristocratic Wisbottle, " the Dow- 

 ager Marchioness of Publiccash was most magnificently dressed, and 

 so was the Baron Slapenbachenhausen." 



" What was he presented on ?" inquired Evenson. 



" On his arrival in England." 



