1829. J A Provincial Repulalion. 007 



looked back afterwards ; the men servants seemed full of mysterious 

 flurry when we left our cards at the doors of acquaintances, and the 

 maid servants peeped at us up the areas ; the shop-keepers came from 

 their counters to watch us down the streets, and all was whispering and 

 wonder. 



I could not make it out ; was it to see the authoress ? No ; I had 

 been an authoress when they last saw me ; — was it the brilliant success 

 of my new work ? — it coitid be nothing else. 



iNIy husband met a maiden lady, and bowed to her ; she passed on 

 without deigning to notice him ; I spoke to an insipid man who had 

 always bored me with his unprofitable intimacy, and he looked another 

 way ! The next lady we noticed tossed her head as if she longed to toss 

 it at us, and the next man we met opened his eyes astonishingly wide, 

 and said, 



" Are you here ! — Dear nne, I was told you could not show your — I 

 mean, did not mean to return !" 



There was evidently some mystery, and we determined to wait 

 patiently for its development. " If," said I, " it bodes us good, time 

 will unravel it." " And if," said my husband " it bodes us evil, some 

 d — d good-natui'ed friend will tell us all about it." 



We had friends at Pumpington WeUs, and good ones too, but no 

 friend enlightened us; that task devolved upon an acquaintance, a little 

 slim elderly man, so frivolous and so garrulous, that he only wanted a 

 turban, some rouge, and a red satin gown, to become the most perfect 

 of old women. 



He shook his head simultaneously as he shook our hands, and his little 

 grey eyes twinkled with delight, while he professed to feel for us both 

 the deepest commiseration. 



" You are cut," said he; " its all up with you in Pumpington Wells." 



" Pray be explicit," said I faintly, and dreading some cruel calumny, 

 or plot against my peace. 



" You've done the most impolitic thing ! the most hazardous" 



" Sir !" said my husband, grasping his cane. 



" I lament it," said the little man, turning to me ; " your book has 

 done it for you." 



I thought of the reviews, and trembled. 



" How could you," contiinied our tormentor, " how could you put the 

 Pumpington M'^ells people in your novel ?" 



" The Pumpington Wells people ! — Nonsense ; there are good and 

 bad people in my novel, and there are good and bad people in Pumping- 

 ton Wells ; but you flatter the good, if you think that when I dipped my 

 pen in praise, I limited my sketches to the virtuous of this place ; and 

 what is worse, you libel the bad if you assert that my sketches of vice 

 were meant personally to apply to .the vicious who reside here." 



" / libel — / assert !" said the old lady-like little man ; " not / — every 

 body says so \" 



" You may laugh," replied my mentor and tormentor combined, " but 

 personality can be proved against you ; and all the friends and relations 

 of ]\Ir. Flaw declare you meant the bad man of your book for him." 



" His friends and relations are too kind to him." 



" Then you have an irregular character in your book, and INIrs. Ble- 

 mish's extensive circle of intimates assert that nothing can be more 

 pointed than your allusion to her conduct and her character." 



" And pray what do these persons say about it themselves ?" 



" Tliey are outrageous, and go about the town absolutely wild." 



