fell into the pit). She seized the flowers and pressed them to her
swelling heart--etc., etc.--in a word--we refer the reader to earlier
pages. Twinkling in her breast poor old Pen saw a locket which he had
bought of Mr. Nathan in High Street, with the last shilling he was worth,
and a sovereign borrowed from Smirke.

'Black-Eyed Susan' followed, at which sweet story our gentle-hearted
friends were exceedingly charmed and affected: and in which Susan, with a
russet gown and a pink ribbon in her cap, looked to the full as lovely as
Ophelia. Bingley was great in William. Goll, as the Admiral, looked like
the figure-head of a seventy-four; and Garbetts, as Captain Boldweather,
a miscreant who forms a plan for carrying off Black-eyed Susan, and
waving an immense cocked hat says, "Come what may, he will be the ruin of
her"--all these performed their parts with their accustomed talent; and
it was with a sincere regret that all our friends saw the curtain drop
down and end that pretty and tender story.

If Pen had been alone with his mother in the carriage as they went home,
he would have told her all, that night; but he sate on the box in the
moonshine smoking a cigar by the side of Smirke, who warmed himself with
a comforter. Mr. Foker's tandem and lamps whirled by the sober old
Clavering posters as they were a couple of miles on their road home, and
Mr. Spavin saluted Mrs. Pendennis's carriage with some considerable
variations of Rule Britannia on the key-bugle.

It happened two days after the above gaieties that Mr. Dean of Chatteris
entertained a few select clerical friends at dinner at his Deanery Home.
That they drank uncommonly good port wine, and abused the Bishop over
their dessert, are very likely matters: but with such we have nothing at
present to do. Our friend Doctor Portman, of Clavering, was one of the