536 The Man of' Letters.- [_Nov. 



" just look back to the line before — ' and mouncht, and mouncht, and 

 mouncht.' Thei-e, you see : she does not mounch once, or twice, but 

 three times. Why, then, of course, she must have her mouth pretty 

 tolerably full ; and being in a hurry to answer the applicant, how 

 beautifully expressive of an indistinct palate pronunciation is the word 

 ' Aroint.' We really must have the slice of bread up to illustrate all 

 this : and see how the picture is carried on — ' the rump-fed ronyon 

 cries.' That shews her good living, and accounts for her being always 

 mounching : she had just dined off rump-steak pudding, and was mak- 

 ing her dessert on chestnuts. ' Her husband's to Aleppo gone, master of 

 the Tyger,' — Now, this you see " 



" Oh, come, Mr. Holland, I fancy that I need not trouble you to 

 explain that. Here is my nephew, who has been two years midshipman 

 in a king's ship, and I presume he must know a little more about sea 

 matters than you." 



Jack, with high indignation in his look, surveyed the young whipper- 

 snapper, who had been thus unceremoniously put over his old seafaring 

 head, and vehemently exclaimed " Phoo ! phoo !" which was about as 

 much contempt as he thought it became him to condescend to express ; 

 and having thus vented his spleen, he continued — 



" ' But in a sieve I'll thither sail. 

 And like a rat without a tail, 

 I'll do, I'll do, I'll do.' 



' And like a rat without a tail,' — that line's fine, ma'am, very fine." 



" Yes, Sir, but what may it mean ?" 



" Mean !" echoed Jack : " now that is as cruel a question as I ever 

 heard. I point out to you a fine line, and then you ask me what it 

 means ; just as if you can expect a thing to be fine, and have meaning 

 too !" 



"And what say you to the last line you have read?" 



" ' I'll do, I'll do, I'll do !' why, ma'am, I say this, — upon my soul I 

 can't do any more," and without further ceremony he bounced out of 

 the room, whispering me as he passed, " I'll tell you what. Captain 

 Tom, the old lady has run me regularly dry, so I'm off to the Bee, to 

 get a double allowance of grog." 



]\Irs. Bluebusk looked after him as he sailed along, and then turning 

 to me, cried, " Upon my word, your friend is a very extraordinary 

 gentleman ; but it is easy to perceive that his genius is of the first-rate 

 order, and that entitles him, of course, to be eccentric." 



I signified my assent to the proposition by a silent bow, at the same 

 time inwardly congratulating myself that matters had passed off so well. 

 After this, the conversation gradually extended into general subjects, 

 when it was suddenly interrupted by a loud bustle on the stairs, which 

 attracted every body's attention ; and a minute after, two brawny, top- 

 booted fellows strode into the apartment. 



" What may you be pleased to want here .''" demanded Mrs. Bluebusk 

 at the top of her voice. 



" Oh, Ma'am, no offence to you," replied one of the fellows, " but 

 there is a gentleman here whom we want. We are London bailiffs, 

 backed with the Suffolk sheriff's writ to arrest one ]Mr. John Howden, 

 alias Holland (as we hear he is called in these parts,) for £1000, at 

 the suit of Nicholas Gorgle." 



