1826.] Old Neighbours— Admiral on Shore. 385 



latitude — had lost his spunk, and was become extraordinarily forgetsome, 

 — he might be in love, likely enougli, but not with Miss Julia — he was 

 sure to sheer away from her ; never spoke to her at breakfast or dinner, 

 and would tack a hundred ways not to meet her, whilst lie was always 

 following in the wake of Miss Anne ; and she (Miss Julia) liad taken to 

 writing long letters again, and to walking the terrace between the 

 Avatches, and did not seem to care for the captain. He could not make 

 the matter out. Miss Anne, indeed." — Here the admiral, to whom the 

 possibility of a failure in his favourite scheme had never occurred, inter- 

 rupted his confidant by a thousand exclamations of " ass ! blockhead 1 

 lubber I" to which tender appellations, that faithful satellite made no other 

 reply than a shake of the head as comprehensive as Lord Burleigh's. 



The next morning vindicated Bill's sagacity. Anne, who, for obvious 

 reasons, had taken the task upon herself, communicated to her father 

 that Captain Claremont had proposed to her and that she had accepted 

 his offer. The admiral was furious, but Anne, though very mild, was 

 very firm ; she would not give up her lover, nor would her lover relin- 

 quish her ; and Julia, when appealed to, asserted her female privilege 

 of white-lying, and declared, that if there was not another man in the 

 world, she would never have married Captain Claremont. The admiral, 

 thwarted by every body, and compelled to submit for the first time in 

 his life (except in the affair of his promotion and that of the ducked 

 sailor), stormed, and swore, and scolded all round, and refused to be 

 pacified ; Mrs. Floyd, to whom his fiat had seemed like fate, was 

 frightened at the general temerity, and vented her unusual discomfort 

 in scolding too ; Anne took refuge in the house of a friend ; and 

 poor Julia, rejected by one party and lectured by the other, com- 

 forted herself by running away, one fine night, with a young officer 

 of dragoons, with whom she had had an off-and-on correspondence 

 for a twelvemonth. This elopement was the cope stone of the 

 admiral's misfortunes ; he took a hatred to Hannonby, and left it 

 forthwith ; and it seemed as if he had left his anger behind him, for the 

 next tidings we heard of the Floyds, Julia and her spouse were forgiven 

 in spite of his soldiership, and the match had turned out far better than 

 might have been expected ; and Anne and her captain were in high 

 favour, and the admiral gaily anticipating a flag-ship and a war, and the 

 delight of bringing up his grandsons to be the future ornaments of the 

 British navy. M. 



IMPROMFTU ON THE SLEEPING ENDYMION OF GUERCINO. 



Written in the Tribune at Florence. 



The lovely shepherd sleeps ; the moon 

 Pours down on him her shinhig kisses. 



And gently sinks to earth — full soon 

 To waken him to closer blisses. 



And yet she has the fairest fame » 



Of all the nymphs of old m3-thology, 



Herself and symbol still the same — 

 Cold both in blood and meteorology. 



Hence do our best and chilliest fair, 



Who cry all naughty doings fie on ! 

 In truth and modesty compare 



Their chastity to that of Dian ! ** 



M.M. New Series Vol I. No. 4. 3D 



