and penitently re-seek the shelter of her roof, and, tamed as it were by
experience, would never again kick against the yoke which her matronly
prudence thought it fitting to impose upon him. She contented herself,
then, with obtaining from Dummie the intelligence that our hero was under
MacGrawler's roof, and therefore out of all positive danger to life and
limb; and as she could not foresee the ingenious exertions of intellect
by which Paul had converted himself into the "Nobilitas" of "The
Asinaeum," and thereby saved himself from utter penury, she was perfectly
convinced, from her knowledge of character, that the illustrious
MacGrawler would not long continue that protection to the rebellious
_protege_ which in her opinion was his only preservative from picking
pockets or famishing. To the former decent alternative she knew Paul's
great and jejune aversion; and she consequently had little fear for his
morals or his safety, in thus abandoning him for a while to chance. Any
anxiety, too, that she might otherwise have keenly experienced was
deadened by the habitual intoxication now increasing upon the good lady
with age, and which, though at times she could be excited to all her
characteristic vehemence, kept her senses for the most part plunged into
a Lethean stupor, or, to speak more courteously, into a poetical
abstraction from the things of the external world.

"But," said Dummie, as by degrees he imparted the solution of the dame's
conduct to the listening ear of his companion,--"but I hopes as how ven
you be out of this 'ere scrape, leetle Paul, you vill take varning, and
drop Meester Pepper's acquaintance (vich, I must say, I vas alvays a
sorry to see you hencourage), and go home to the Mug, and fam grasp the
old mort, for she has not been like the same cretur ever since you vent.
She's a delicate-'arted 'oman, that Piggy Lob!"

So appropriate a panegyric on Mrs. Margaret Lobkins might at another time