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immortalized at a cart's tail; therefore it is possible that this may be the last time we meet-I wish you good morning, sir, and a pleasant whipping." With that he pulled off his hat, made me a low bow, and desired the coachman to drive on, amidst the multitudinous "good byes" of my cousins, who had all the time been remarking what a funny little cottage I lived in.

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A host of strange, disjointed visions of dungeons, chains, and courts of justice, followed each other in indescribable variety. Sometimes I was in the pillory-sometimes “on board a tender "-and afterwards chained to Billy the Skulker in Botany Bay. Finally, I was stripped and tied to a cart's tail opposite to the scene of my glory, the Dog and Duck. All the world was present to enjoy the performance, and, amongst the rest, my tenderhearted aunt, to whom the unchivalric catastrophe of the cat-o'-nine-tails was horror beyond measure. My tutor, however, was at her elbow, with a piece of his usual conclusive reasoning. "My dear madam," said he, "if none of the knights were whipped, you must

remember that all the saints were; and I submit it to your excellent understanding, whether it is not better for your nephew to be a saint than a knight. In my opinion he is the glory of your family."

My aunt, of course, was struck by the justice of the remark, but, being willing that I should become a saint as cheaply as possible, gave him a sum of money to bribe the executioner (who was no less a personage than Julius Cæsar himself) not to discourage her innocent boy in his saint-like pursuits by whipping him too hard. The ambassador (as he would no doubt have done in reality) conveyed the treasure to his own breeches' pocket; and the noble Roman, whose arm was strengthened at the particular request of my uncle, prepared to do his duty. The little boys huzzaed, and the cart began to move; when, as a climax to all earthly misery, my tutor's young niece, of whom I have before made mention, came screaming in to save me. The anguish of such a disgraceful exposure before her was more than nature could sustain ; and, had I not been shaken into a sense of the

delusion, I think I should absolutely have died in convulsions.

My first endeavour was to rub my eyes and jump up; but I could do neither, for my arms were too stiff to be raised, and the torture which I underwent from the exertion assured me that several of my ribs were broken. I stared eagerly round. It was broad daylight; and, to my inexpressible delight, I discovered that I was not in the cage, but in my aunt's own identical hayloft. I called as loudly as my strength would permit, but no one answered, and I was only aware that I had an attendant by a faint hysterical sobbing close to my ear. “Who is that?" I inquired.—“ Do not disturb yourself," replied a beautiful but tremulous voice, "it is only me." Every fibre of my body was instinct with instantaneous vigour.

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sprang upon my legs as if nothing had happened, and beheld the lovely being whose visionary appearance had made such an electric termination to my fancies. "Jessie," I exclaimed, "is it you? Is it possible that you think me worth—-” I could say no more,

for I had exerted myself too much, and dropped helpless by her side; but my heart was swelling with a sensation, to purchase which I would willingly have been broken upon the wheel. She raised my head upon her knee, and promised that, if I would not agitate myself and increase the mischief which my frame had already suffered, she would tell me all that I was going to inquire about.

That I may not disarrange the order of events, I must commence with certain particulars which I afterwards learnt from the Tinker.-It appeared that our battle at Dead-Man's Corner had been a piece of choice amusement confined entirely to our own party, who had no enemy to contend with but the evil conscience and faint heart of the Smasher and the Skulker. These respectable persons had, in fact, mistaken the rush of the sheep from the wood for a sortie of the gamekeepers, whereupon ensued the war-cry of Julius Cæsar, and the consequent variety of fractured heads. My own particular opponent had been no other than the Smasher himself. The error had not been discovered till all had ran away excepting the Tinker and the

Swiller, both of whom were as brave as lions, the first by nature, and the second by drunkenness. This valiant remnant of my band, having come to a proper understanding, first shared the spoils, and then commenced a search for their leader, whom they conveyed home as before described. Neither of them, however, chose to be the object of cross-questioning, by alarming the house. The Swiller, therefore, went his way to hide the treasure, and the Tinker to consult his worthy friend, my tutor. My tutor happened not to sleep at home, being, probably, on a poaching excursion of his own; and before it was light, the maidservant had carried the intelligence to her young mistress, who, she was quite sure, would be pleased to hear any news of young

master.

"I thought," continued my trembling little nurse, "you would not be angry at my interfering, and so and so I came to sit by you till some one might venture to awaken your aunt."

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Hush, dearest Jessie," I cried, with a courage I never before felt; "let her dream

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