598 The Dobson Family. 



ping suddenly " how the deuce are we both to sleep in one of these 

 little beds?" "I'm sure I do not know, my dear," answered MrsD. "It's 

 quite out of the question to suppose such a thing," said Mr. Dobson : 

 "better call the housemaid." " Housemaid,'' shouted Mr. Dobson over 

 the bannisters " housemaid !' J all the servants in the hotel, postilions 

 and all came rushing up stairs to put out the fire as they interpreted 

 "housemaid," all asking where it was, what it was ; not a word of 

 which of course was understood. "Curse their lungs," roared Mr. 

 Dobson nearly maddened, and stamped and damned the Frenchmen 

 to their hearts' content; but at last the Englishman made his ap- 

 pearance, and endeavoured to explain that it was not intended that 

 they should both sleep in one of the aforementioned small beds, but 

 one in each. " ( Zoundsl" shouted Mr. Dobson, " I sleep in one corner 

 of the room and my wife in another! why we've slept in the same 

 bed for thirty years, and do you think we are going to be separated 

 now ?" 



Mrs. Dobson began to cry at the bare possibility of such an occur- 

 rence. The waiter did not know what to do, declared there was no 

 larger bed in the hotel, and hoped that they would put up with the 

 inconvenience for one night. The Dobsons would not hear of such 

 a thing, for they were determined that separate they would not. If 

 they chose it, he, the waiter, would send into the town to try and pro- 

 cure one : they consented, and a large old lumbering piece of fur- 

 niture was with great difficulty procured, pulled up the staircase, and 

 finally established in the Dobson's bed-room; in which the affectionate 

 couple deposited themselves for the night. 



Henceforward, misfortune seemed to have marked them for her 

 own, for in the sequel we shall be the chroniclers of woe without 

 the slightest admixture of pleasure. 



We shall in silence pass by the consternation of Mr. Dobson when 

 he saw the amount of the bill, which, owing to the trouble he had 

 given, was of course large. Ruin seemed staring him in the face. 

 In fact, he had grievously blundered in his calculations ; he had 

 imagined that he should be able to travel with his whole family and 

 their appurtenances, for half of what he lived" for in Red Lion 

 Street. We shall, with your permission, fair reader, with your per- 

 mission, most beauteous reader, in silence pass over their journey 

 to Brussels merely stating that at Cassel, on the very first night of 

 their journey, that affectionate couple, Mr. and Mrs. Dobson, were, 

 horrible to relate, obliged to sleep one in each corner of the room. 

 We shall take them up again at Brussels, where they arrived safely, 

 after a series of the most distressing adventures. Established at the 

 Bellevue, they resolved to dine at the table d'Hote, as Miss Emily 

 had discovered that the society was quite tlite, as there was a great 

 number of counts (which title Count Vandeneski had told her was 

 the same as earl) and viscounts, and barons, and generals, and co- 

 lonels without end. 



Emily was quite happy and could not sit still for five minutes, 

 thinking which of her dresses would be most appropriate^ and prac- 

 tising the most effective method of entering the salle a manger, and 

 the most elegant method of quitting it. At last ^these weighty 



