go not too hard with me at the start. I thought I had done fairly well,
to sit at the table of the council of coinage on my first day in London.
'Tis not every young man gets so far as that. Come, now, Will!"

"But after all, there must be serious purpose."

"Know then," cried the elder man, suddenly, "that I have found such
serious purpose!"

The speaker stood looking out of the window, his eye fixed out across
the roofs of London. There had now fallen from his face all trace of
levity, and into his eye and mouth there came reflex of the decision of
his speech. Will stirred in his chair, and at length the two faced each
other.

"And pray, what is this sudden resolution, Jack?" said Will Law.

"If I must tell you, it is simply this: I am resolved to marry the girl
we met at Sadler's Wells."

"How--what--?"

"Yes, how--what--?" repeated his brother, mockingly.

"But I would ask, which?"

"There was but one," said John Law. "The tall one, with the
brassy-brown, copper-red hair, the bright blue eye, and the figure of a
queen. Her like is not in all the world!"