"Don't you expect to see him?" said I.

"O yes, I constantly expect to see him," returned Herbert, "because

I never hear him, without expecting him to come tumbling through the

ceiling. But I don't know how long the rafters may hold."

When he had once more laughed heartily, he became meek again, and told

me that the moment he began to realize Capital, it was his intention

to marry this young lady. He added as a self-evident proposition,

engendering low spirits, "But you can't marry, you know, while you're

looking about you."

As we contemplated the fire, and as I thought what a difficult vision to

realize this same Capital sometimes was, I put my hands in my pockets.

A folded piece of paper in one of them attracting my attention, I opened

it and found it to be the play-bill I had received from Joe, relative

to the celebrated provincial amateur of Roscian renown. "And bless my

heart," I involuntarily added aloud, "it's to-night!"

This changed the subject in an instant, and made us hurriedly resolve

to go to the play. So, when I had pledged myself to comfort and abet

Herbert in the affair of his heart by all practicable and impracticable

means, and when Herbert had told me that his affianced already knew me

by reputation and that I should be presented to her, and when we had

warmly shaken hands upon our mutual confidence, we blew out our candles,

made up our fire, locked our door, and issued forth in quest of Mr.

Wopsle and Denmark.




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