THE BLOOMSBURY CHRISTENING, 377 



invented the whole story, " though perhaps it would be but doing 

 your duty as a husband to prepare her for the worst." 



A day or two afterwards, as Dumps was perusing a morning paper 

 at the chop-house which he regularly frequented, the following para- 

 graph met his eye : 



" Births. On Saturday the 18th inst, in Great Russell-street, the lady 

 of Charles Kitterbell, Esq. of a son." 



" It is a boy !" he exclaimed, dashing down the paper to the as- 

 tonishment of the waiters. " It is a boy !" But he speedily regained 

 his composure as his eye rested on a paragraph quoting the num- 

 ber of infant deaths from the bills of mortality. 



Six weeks passed away, and as no communication had been received 

 from the Kitterbells, Dumps was beginning to flatter himself that 

 the child was dead, when the following note painfully resolved his 

 doubts : 



" Great Russell-street, 

 " DEAR UNCLE : Monday morning. 



" You will be delighted to hear that my dear Jemima has left her 

 room, and that your future godson is getting on capitally ; he was 

 very thin at first, but he is getting much larger, and nurse says he is 

 filling out every day. He cries a good deal, and is a very singular 

 colour, which made Jemima and me rather uncomfortable; but as 

 nurse says it's natural, and as, of course, we know nothing about 

 these things yet, we are quite satisfied with what nurse says. We 

 think he will be a sharp child ; and nurse says she's sure he will, be- 

 cause he never goes to sleep. You will readily believe that we are 

 all very happy, only we're a little worn out for want of rest, as he 

 keeps us awake all night ; but this we must expect, nurse says, for 

 the first six or eight months. He has been vaccinated, but in conse- 

 quence of the operation being rather awkwardly performed, some 

 small particles of glass were introduced into the arm with the matter. 

 Perhaps this may in some degree account for his being rather frac- 

 tious; at least, so nurse says. We propose to have him christened 

 at twelve o'clock on Friday, at Saint George's church, in Hart-street, 

 by the name of Frederick Charles William. Pray don't be later 

 than a quarter before twelve. We shall have a very few friends in 

 the evening, when, of course, we shall see you. I am sorry to say 

 that the dear boy appears rather restless and uneasy to-day : the 

 cause, I fear, is fever. 



" Believe me, dear Uncle, 



" Yours affectionately, 



" CHARLES KITTERBELL." 



"P. S. I open this note to say that we have just discovered the 

 cause of little Frederick's restlessness. It is not fever, as I appre- 

 hended, but a small pin, which nurse accidentally stuck in his leg 

 yesterday evening. We have taken it out, and he appears more com- 

 posed, though he still sobs a good deal." 



It is almost unnecessary to say that the perusal of the above inte- 

 resting statement was no great relief to the mind of the hypochon- 

 driacal Dumps. It was impossible to recede, however, and so he put 



M.M. No. 100. 3 C 



