The next month the newspapers contained a paragraph which may possibly elucidate the above mystery, and to the following effect:—­

“Singular Wager.—­One night, at the end of last season, the young and eccentric Earl of B-gn-gge laid a wager of twenty-five thousand pounds with a broken sporting patrician, the dashing Marquis of M-rt-ng-le, that he would pass a week under the roof of a celebrated and lovely young heiress, who lives not a hundred miles from B-lgr-ve Squ-re.  The bet having been made, the earl pretended an illness, and having taken lessons from one of his lordship’s own footmen (Mr. James Plush, whose name he also borrowed) in ‘the mysteries of the profession,’ actually succeeded in making an entry into Miss P-ml-co’s mansion, where he stopped one week exactly; having time to win his bet, and to save the life of the lady, whom we hear he is about to lead to the altar.  He disarmed the Prince of Borodino in a duel fought on Calais sands—­and, it is said, appeared at the C——­ club wearing his plush costume under a cloak, and displaying it as a proof that he had won his wager.”

Such, indeed, were the circumstances.  The young couple have not more than nine hundred thousand a year, but they live cheerfully, and manage to do good; and Emily de Pentonville, who adores her daughter-in-law and her little grandchildren, is blest in seeing her darling son enfin un homme range.

CRINOLINE.

By je-mes Pl-sh, Esq.

I.

I’m not at libbaty to divulj the reel names of the 2 Eroes of the igstrawny Tail which I am abowt to relait to those unlightnd paytrons of letarature and true connyshures of merrit—­the great Brittish public—­But I pledj my varacity that this singlar story of rewmantic love, absobbing pashn, and likewise of genteel life, is, in the main fax, Trew.  The suckmstanzas I elude to, ocurd in the rain of our presnt Gratious Madjisty and her beluvd and roil Concert Prince Halbert.

Welthen.  Some time in the seazen of 18—­ (mor I dar not rewheel) there arrived in this metropulus, per seknd class of the London and Dover Railway, an ellygant young foring gentleman, whom I shall danomminate Munseer Jools De Chacabac.

Having read through “The Vicker of Wackfield” in the same oridganal English tung in which this very harticle I write is wrote too, and halways been remarkyble, both at collidge and in the estamminy, for his aytred and orror of perfidgus Halbion, Munseer Jools was considered by the prapriretors of the newspaper in which he wrote, at Parris, the very man to come to this country, igsamin its manners and customs, cast an i upon the politticle and finalshle stat of the Hempire, and igspose the mackynations of the infyamous Palmerston, and the ebomminable Sir Pill—­both enemies of France; as is every other Britten of that great, gloarus, libberal, and peasable country.  In one word, Jools de Chacabac was a penny-a-liner.