HORATIO SPARKINS. 161 



" You are very lucky, if you have had an opportunity of obliging 

 that great man/' observed Flamwell, with an air of profound respect. 



" I don't know," whispered Flamwell to Mr. Malderton confi- 

 dentially as they followed Horatio up to the drawing-room. " It's 

 quite clear, however, that he belongs to the law, and that he is some- 

 body of great importance, and very highly connected/' 



" No doubt, no doubt," returned his companion. 



The remainder of the evening passed away most delightfully. Mr. 

 Malderton, relieved from his apprehensions by the circumstance of 

 Mr. Barton's falling into a profound sleep, was as affable and gra- 

 cious as possible. Miss Teresa played " The Falls of Paris," as Mr. 

 Sparkins declared, in a most masterly manner, and both of them as- 

 sisted by Mr. Frederick, tried over glees arid trios without number ; 

 they having made the pleasing discovery that their voices harmonized 

 beautifully. To be sure they all sang the first part ; and Horatio, in 

 addition to the slight drawback of having no ear, was perfectly in- 

 nocent of knowing a note of music ; still they passed the time away 

 very agreeably, and it was past twelve o'clock before Mr. Sparkins 

 ordered the mourning-coach-looking steed to be brought out an order 

 which was only complied with upon the distinct understanding that 

 he was to repeat his visit on the following Sunday. 



" But, perhaps, Mr. Sparkins will form one of our party to-morrow 

 evening?" suggested Mrs. M. " Mr. Malderton intends taking the 

 girls to see St. George and the Dragon" Mr. Sparkins bowed and 

 promised to join the party in box 48 in the course of the evening. 



" We will not tax you for the morning," said Miss Teresa, be- 

 witchingly ; " for ma is going to take us to all sorts of places, shop- 

 ping. But I know that gentlemen have a great horror of that em- 

 ployment." Mr, Sparkins bowed again, and declared he should be 

 delighted, but business of importance occupied him in the morning. 

 Flamwell looked at Malderton significantly. " It's term timel" he 

 whispered. 



At twelve o'clock on the following morning the " fly" was at the 

 door of Oak Lodge to convey Mrs. Malderton and her daughters 011 

 their expedition for the day, They were to dine and dress for the play 

 at a friend's house, first driving thither with their bandboxes ; thence 

 they departed on their first errand to make some purchases at Messrs. 

 Jones, Spruggins, and Smith's, of Tottenham -court-road ; after which 

 to Redmayne, in Bond-treet; and thence to innumerable places that no 

 one ever heard of. The young ladies beguiled the tediousness of the 

 ride by eulogizing Mr. Horatio Sparkins, scolding their mamma for 

 taking them so far to save a shilling, and wondering whether they 

 should ever reach their destination. At length the vehicle stopped 

 before a dirty-looking ticketed linen-draper's shop, with goods of all 

 kinds, and labels of all sorts and sizes in the window. There were 

 dropsical figures of a seven with a little three-quarter in the corner, 

 something like the aquatic animalculse disclosed by the gas micro- 

 scope " perfectly invisible to the naked eye ;" three hundred and fifty 

 thousand ladies' boas* from one shilling and a penny halfpenny; real 

 French kid shoes, at two and nine-pence per pair ; green parasols, 

 wth handles like carving-forks, at an equally cheap rate; and 



M. M. No. 98. Y 



