"Its very singular," remarked Mrs. B.; "there is nothing in a pigeon-pie to make any one unwell."

"Ain't there though," said the elder Budd.

"What d'ye mean, my child?" asked Mrs. B., with an inward conviction of some unpleasant disclosure of youthful villainy.

66

Why, I saw Bob empty a little bottle of physic in that pie. He! he he!" he giggled.

"Ha! ha ha!" roared Smerke.

"Bottle of physic! faintly reiterated Mrs. B.; "then that's where my emetic went." She turned to Bob-" Oh, you naughty boy."

66

Well," snivelled Bob, "Mr. Joe put some black beetles in that meat-pie Mr. Smerke has been eating."

On this disclosure every one laughed but Smerke; and the fear of similar discoveries taking place induced nearly every one to believe that they had eaten sufficiently; particularly on Pundit's return, for his ghastly, pallid look, alarmed all of them; and Smerke, with the thoughts of the beetles, was waxing marvellously white. Various antidotes were prescribed for them. "Gin!" cried Azure.

"Brandy!" said Mrs. Bodger.

"Cigar!" exclaimed Walter,--puff-" nothing-puff-like a -puff-cigar"-puff.

However, Mrs. Bodger's prescription was followed, and seemed to have a very good effect; for Pundit began to look redder, and Smerke to laugh. A general dispersing now took place. The two Budds were most industriously exerting themselves; they had already affixed a long paper-tail to the collar of Walter, and a dirty knife-cloth to the tye wig of Mr. Brindle, who still followed the old fashion, and who now was busy with his telescope, muttering, "Beautiful! charming!" and various other words expressive of delight. They (the Budds) then diverted themselves by several other mischievous tricks; and Joe, having gathered some wild flowers, decorated, with much perseverance and ingenuity, the cap with which Miss Young adorned her head; while Bob was busy.emptying a bottle of port wine into the pocket of Mr. Pundit's plum-coloured coat, as he was conversing very earnestly with Miss Young, and endeavouring to persuade her to take a glass of wine, which she with affected juvenile bashfulness, was declining.

"Look at-puff-Brindle's-puff-tail-puff,” said Walter to Miss Bodger; "he's got a-puff-tail-puff. Ha! ha! ha! Those young dogs-puff-have pinned a-puff-cloth to his— puff-tail-puff-puff."

66

"Oh vastly entertaining, no doubt," replied Miss Bodger; "I wonder you don't get rid of that filthy habit of ejecting smoke; it is a propensity so disgustingly offensive to any but the

little-minded follower of it, that I am surprised decent people should tolerate it."

“Well, now—puff," answered Walter, not at all affected by the remark, "I have-puff-heard-"

A scream from Mrs. Bodger, and a smashing of plates, announced that Mr. Brindle had stepped back unconsciously into a quantity, which the last-mentioned lady had been gathering together, and drew from her a flood of invective upon his unfortunate propensity.

Sprightly, who was lying, "a la Hamlet,' at the feet of Miss Azure, laughed heartily at this mishap, and drew a retrospective review of the events of the day, with so much humour, that Miss Azure felt highly amused.

"Poor Pundit," he smilingly continued, "looked horribly rueful after the emetic, and our grinning friend grew grave. Here's Brindle, in using his glass too freely, is breaking his plates, and

"You are spilling your wine," interrupted Miss Azure ;"gracious me, look there," she exclaimed suddenly. Sprightly turned his head, and beheld his uncle, quite overcome by the intense heat, fast asleep under a tree; while the elder Miss Brindle was dressing him in a shawl and bonnet, the property of Mrs. Bodger; and Flourish, with some flowers and grass at the end of a cane, was tickling the old gentleman's nose, who every now and then rubbed the part affected, exciting the jocucularity of Smerke; which Miss B. the younger, giggling mightily herself, endeavoured ineffecttually to repress.

66

Mr. Azure, who would attempt nothing sprightly after his failure in his leap from the boat to the shore, kept drinking gin with great spirit," as Tom Buoyant observed; and Mrs. Azure, who had a leaning to that pellucid liquid, waited with some patience to receive a portion, which, after seeing the departure of four or five glassfuls down his thirsty throat, she doubted the attainment of, and therefore made a snatch at the bottle, which came readily into her possession from the unsuspecting, unresisting hand of Azure; but, as she unfortunately expected the reverse, and did not intend to carry on the attack, meaning the snatch merely as a hint, the consequence was, the bottle fell with some force, broke, and distributed the liquor upon the parched and thirsty turf. This accident was to Azure one of frightful importance; for the only pleasure he had tasted on his trip came from that bottle. Here, in an instant, he saw the cup of bliss dashed from his lips; he had been but little pleased during the day-he expected much less gratification for the remainder: all this flashed like lightning through his brain, and, turning to his wife, he gave vent to a tremendous exclamation, too horrid for " polite ears;" and, contrary to his usual custom, added to it a quantity of words-" You've done it, you

greedy old hag, you have; I wish I hadn't come; I didn't want to come, you know I didn't; and if I don't go may I be and off he started.

-;"

"My dear, I couldn't help it," replied his wife; "you know I couldn't; it was all- " and she followed.

"Mr. Buoyant, you haven't seen my Swallow, have you?" asked Mrs. Brindle of the punster.

66 No, ma'am," answered Buoyant ; "I was too much engaged with my own dinner to notice how much you eat.”

"How much I

spoke of my son."

-? Ah, you mistake my meaning -I

"Your son is in the shade of that tree; I fancy I saw him leave the Budds for the trees," cried Buoyant, delighted at having an opportunity to pun.

Mrs. Brindle walked to the tree, and for an instant peeped over, but saw sufficient to make her dart forward, with a shout, and seize her son, who was in the act of devouring, with all possible swiftness, a jam tart, and dispensing frugally portions of his plenty to Flourish's dog; who sat eagerly watching for the proffered bits, which, like angels' visits, were "few and far between ; and, as Buoyant described it (for he followed Mrs. Brindle, and, looking over the tree, saw the whole affair), every piece from Swallow to Snap was snapped up and swallowed by the dog, who sat there bolting with all his speed.

"Ha! you naughty boy," screamed Mrs. Brindle; “give me the tart; "you'll kill yourself, you greedy little glutton, you will-you good for nothing," &c. &c. She was about to inflict coercion, when Buoyant restrained her.

"Nay," he observed, "do not look so sour about a little tart; the young colt is only a trifle Brindle-pied. Nay, don't strike him-y -you know a blow is sure to bring on a breeze.” Mrs. Br.ndle refrained.

"There," said Buoyant, leading the weeping Swallow from his mother, " young gentleman, you were on the eve of being caned; and, even if you were able to bear it, your mother is not brute enough to do it."

Miss Bodger overheard the last speech of Buoyant, and she did not fail to give him her opinion of it.

"How happy you must be, Buoyant," she exclaimed. 66 Why?" he asked.

Oh," she laughed, "there is no need to ask why. However, as you really are the victim of such ineffable stupidity, I will enlighten your dull brain. You must find a great pleasure in giving birth to those immeasurably abortive attempts at wit, or you would not put the kindness of your acquaintances to so painful a test; and if such extremely slight trifles, lighter than air, can give you joy great as your content,' why you can have nothing to create sorrow; therefore, you must be happy. You verify the old proverb, Trifles please little minds.' "