484 THB: BOARDING HOUSE. 



tf Julia, my love/' said Mrs. Maplesone, to her youngest daughter, 

 in a tone just loud enough for the remainder of the company to hear, 

 " Julia." 



Yes, Ma." 



" Don't stoop." This was said for the purpose of directing general 

 attention to Miss Julia's figure, which was undeniable. Every body 

 looked at her accordingly, and then there was another pause. 



We had the most uncivil hackney-coachman to-day, you can 

 imagine," said Mrs. Maplesone to Mrs. Tibbs, in a truly confidential 

 tone. 



" Dear me !" replied the hostess, with an air of great commiseration. 

 She couldn't say more, for the servant again appeared at the door, and 

 commenced telegraphing most earnestly to her " Misses." 



" I think hackney coachmen generally are uncivil," said Mr. Hicks, 

 in his most insinuating tone. 



' " Positively I think they are," replied Mrs. Maplesone, as if the 

 idea had never struck her before. 



" And cabmen, too," said Mr. Simpson. This remark was a failure, 

 for no one intimated by word or sign the slightest knowledge of the 

 manners and customs of cabmen. 



" Robinson, what do you want ?" saic^ Mrs. Tibbs to the servant, 

 who, by way of making her presence known to her mistress, had been 

 giving sundry hems and sniffs outside the door, during the preceding 

 five minutes. 



" Please, ma'am, master wants his clean things," replied the ser- 

 vant, completely taken off her guard. There was no resisting this : 

 the two young men turned their faces to the window, and " went off" 

 like a couple of bottles of ginger beer ; the ladies put their cambrics 

 to their mouths, and little Mrs. Tibbs bustled out of the room to give 

 Tibbs his clean linen, and the servant warning. 



Mr. Calton, the remaining boarder, shortly afterwards made his 

 appearance, and proved a surprising promoter of the conversation. 

 Mr. Calton was a superannuated beau an old boy. He used to say 

 of himself, that although his features were not regularly handsome, 

 they were striking. They certainly were : it was impossible to look 

 at his face without being forcibly reminded of a chubby street-door 

 knocker, half-lion, half-monkey ; and the comparison might be ex- 

 tended to his whole character and conversation. He had stood still 

 while every thing else had been moving. He never originated a 

 conversation, or started a new idea ; but if any common-place topic 

 were broached, or, to pursue the comparison, if any body lifted him up, 

 he would hammer away with surprising rapidity. He had the tic 

 doloreux occasionally, and then he might be said to be muffled, be- 

 cause he didn't make quite as mucli noise as at other times, when he 

 would go on prosing, rat-tat-tat, the same thing over and over again. 

 He had never been married ; but he was still on the look-out for a 

 wife with money. He had a life interest worth about 3001. a year 

 he was exceedingly vain, and inordinately selfish. He had acquired 

 the reputation of being the very pink of politeness ; and he walked 

 round the park, and up Regent-street, every day. 



This respectable personage had made up his mind to render him- 



