“‘Wadyermean, you infunnle scoundrel,’ says I, ’hollaring and laffing at me?’

“‘Oh, here’s Miss Mary Hann coming up,’ says Thomas, ’ask her’—­and indeed there came my little Mary Hann tripping down the stairs—­her &s in her pockits; and when she saw me, she began to blush and look hod & then to grin too.

“‘In the name of Imperence,’ says I, rushing on Thomas, and collaring him fit to throttle him—­’no raskle of a flunky shall insult me,’ and I sent him staggerin up aginst the porter, and both of ’em into the hall-chair with a flopp—­when Mary Hann, jumping down, says, ’O James!  O Mr. Plush! read this’—­and she pulled out a billy doo.

“I reckanized the and-writing of Hangelina.”

“Deseatful Hangelina’s billy ran as follows:—­

“’I had all along hoped that you would have relinquished pretensions which you must have seen were so disagreeable to me; and have spared me the painful necessity of the step which I am compelled to take.  For a long time I could not believe my parents were serious in wishing to sacrifice me, but have in vain entreated them to spare me.  I cannot undergo the shame and misery of a union with you.  To the very last hour I remonstrated in vain, and only now anticipate by a few hours, my departure from a home from which they themselves were about to expel me.

“’When you receive this, I shall be united to the person to whom, as you are aware, my heart was given long ago.  My parents are already informed of the step I have taken.  And I have my own honor to consult, even before their benefit:  they will forgive me, I hope and feel, before long.

“’As for yourself, may I not hope that time will calm your exquisite feelings too?  I leave Mary Ann behind me to console you.  She admires you as you deserve to be admired, and with a constancy which I entreat you to try and imitate.  Do, my dear Mr. Plush, try—­for the sake of your sincere friend and admirer, A.

“’P.S.  I leave the wedding-dresses behind for her:  the diamonds are beautiful, and will become Mrs. Plush admirably.’

“This was hall!—­Confewshn!  And there stood the footmen sniggerin, and that hojus Mary Hann half a cryin, half a laffing at me!  ’Who has she gone hoff with?’ rors I; and Mary Hann (smiling with one hi) just touched the top of one of the Johns’ canes who was goin out with the noats to put hoff the brekfst.  It was Silvertop then!

“I bust out of the house in a stayt of diamoniacal igsitement!

“The stoary of that ilorpmint I have no art to tell.  Here it is from the Morning Tatler newspaper:—­

“Elopement in high life.

“The only authentic account.

“The neighborhood of Berkeley Square, and the whole fashionable world, has been thrown into a state of the most painful excitement by an event which has just placed a noble family in great perplexity and affliction.