358 PORTRAIT-GALLERY OF OLD BACHELORS. 



" Well, Mr. Tickler, I suppose I must believe you ; but my late 

 dear husband often warned me against your- arts, 1 assure you. Ah ! 

 he was an excellent man, Mr. Tickler an excellent man ! I lost a 

 treasure when I lost him. He often said, * beware Mr. Tickler, 

 Anne ; he 's a dangerous fellow, depend upon it. I make no account 

 of such a coddling fellow something in the wind, take my word for 

 it.' Yes, Mr. Tickler, such were my dear departed's words, 1 assure 

 you, and he was an excellent man, Mr. Tickler." 



" He was an excellent man, my sweet widow, I admit; but he did 

 me injustice, I swear to you : permit me to arrange your coiffure: 

 he was clearly wrong : what a fine head of hair ! ' threads of gold ' 

 every bit of it. Yes, my dear widow, Shackle was an excellent 

 man, there 's no denying it ; and you suffered a loss, hard to bear, 

 and difficult to replace, when it pleased Providence to snatch him 

 from your arms : by the bye, allow me to examine that bracelet ; a 

 fine cameo, and an arm worthy Cleopatra so round, so smooth, so 

 polished ! and these fingers are 



' Ivory arrows tipp'd with pearl/ " 



" Oh fie, Mr. Tickler ! why, Shackle never used to talk so ! fie, 

 Sir ! I begin to think you are very wicked." 



" Nothing of the sort, most amiable widow : that my friend 

 Shackle never talked so, I will believe ; but he was an excellent 

 man, nobody can deny that. I have often thought, however, that 

 husbands seldom are fully sensible of the value of their wives ; pos- 

 session, I know not why, alters them strangely ; but still, Shackle 

 was an excellent man." 



" Yes, indeed he was, Mr. Tickler; so tender and affectionate; a 

 dear good man ! " 



" Well, but, widow, having thus tasted matrimony, why don't you 

 hang out a signal for another consort? Shackle is gone irrevocably: 

 why waste your youth and beauty in empty reflections ?" 



" Ah, Mr. Tickler, where shall I find another Shackle ? how 

 dare I venture on another man, having had such a one?" 



" Tut, widow, there 's as good fish in the sea as ever came out of 

 it ; and if Shackle is gone, you may depend upon it ' there are a 

 thousand men as good as he.' " 



" Ah, Mr. Tickler, I dare say, I dare say ; but how is one to 

 know the good ones ? If you were on the marrying list, your good 

 qualities are so well known, that that in short there is no know- 

 ing what might happen." 



** Ah ! my sweet widow, you flatter ; and why should not I 

 marry, pray ? ' Time has but slightly thinned my flowing locks,' or 

 * shrunk my swelling calves ; ' and I am as full of life as a * three 

 year old.' What, when I called myself an old bachelor ! why, ' I 

 did not think I should live to be married ;' but with you, widow ! 

 I vow to Heaven you are a bonne bouche for an abbot." 



" Oh, fie ! Really how you do talk ! I am positively afraid of 

 you : do let go my hand. Oh, fie ! what a naughty man you are ! " 



"Well, my charming widow, you won't have me, then? Hah, 



