This was the destination of her lady-friend; for she had determined to regulate, as far as she could, the movements of herself and Mr. Brown-if she should happily meet with him again-by those of her ladyship.

6

I suppose,' said Mrs. Brown, opening at once upon the main subject, that your ladyship intends to spend a few days at Margate ?'

'Lawk! you wretched old stewardess!' exclaimed her friend, holding up both her hands, brandy and water and all, and turning up her eyes very hysterically, how could you suppose I should dream of anything so 'orrid? Stay at Margate, indeed! For my part, I shall be wretched till I get a mile out of the place, and shall not feel quite comfortable till I have been a day at Broadstairs. I generally travel with the carriage, and avoid these fishy places.'

Dear me! only think!' said Mrs. Brown, in astonishment, at her friend's account of Margate; how shocking! so your ladyship is determined to go to Broadstairs?'

'Certainly,' replied the lady. It's the only place in these parts fit for decent people to be seen at; and we have been there several weeks, and

Bang came the bows of the steamer against Margate pier-head, with somewhat more violence than usual, the effect of which threw the moiety of my lady's second glass of brandy and water into Mrs. Brown's lap, and abruptly concluded their conversation.

A few slight screams, and a great many inelegant oaths, were speedily overruled by the din of debarkation.

A swarm of useful impositions, called ticket-porters, pervaded the deck from stem to stern, and sought for the employment of their services with most vociferous diligence.

Mrs. Brown extricated herself without much difficulty from the prevailing confusion; and with the aid of a ticket-porter, safely established herself and 'things' upon the pier.

The porter had deposited the things' on his barrow, but Mrs. Brown strenuously resisted his stirring an inch with them; stating that she should not go from the spot where she was, until a gentleman arrived that she was expecting. In vain did the porter offer to go and inquire for the gentleman,-in vain did he propose that Mrs. Brown should go to an inn, and wait for him; she would neither give any explanation, or budge an inch. Down she sat upon the barrow, and no argument could move her.

Her attention was in less than an hour attracted to the near approach of another steamer, which, as it was evidently making the pier, occasioned Mrs. Brown to entertain lively anticipations that it contained her husband. They were not unfounded. In a few minutes Mr. Brown stepped from the deck of the Red Rover. Mrs. Brown presented the red box and herself, at the pier side, the safety of which being ocularly demonstrated to Mr. Brown, he submitted himself to, nay, even returned the tender embrace of Mrs. Brown, with a cordiality rather unusual in such situations.

When Mr. Brown inquired of the porter which was the best inn to go to, he was cut short, and failed in obtaining any opinion whatever upon that point, by Mrs. Brown's most decisive declaration,-that she would not put her head into a Margate house. No-not upon any consideration whatever; moreover, she insisted upon quitting the place

instantly; let the cost be what it would. Fortunately, she was enabled to carry her intention into effect with all possible expedition, and at no great cost.

One of those machines, like half an omnibus, was about to start. Their luggage was, therefore, soon transferred from the barrow to the roof of the vehicle, and Mr. and Mrs. Brown were deposited in the interior, with one other gentleman, who immediately invited acquaintance with them, by expressing how sorry he felt that some unlucky circumstance appeared to have brought them into collision with some rude people.

This touched a chord to which the heart of Mrs. Brown responded. She was excessively obliged to receive expressions of sympathy from a well-bred gentleman, and soon entered upon a detailed account of her voyage from London to Margate. Nothing could be more à propos than this opportunity of relating the account, as it at once amused the gentleman, informed her husband of that which up to that time he had not learnt the details of, and afforded herself a glorious opportunity of talking, and especially of communicating how gratified she was at having formed the acquaintance of The Dowager Lady Essex,' in a manner which, she had reason to believe, was mutually cordial and permanent.

Mr. and Mrs. Brown having arrived at Broadstairs, were met at the entrance of the Albion Hotel by Mr. Ballard himself, the civil, attentive, obliging young landlord of the house; who assured them that they would find everything comfortable in his house, and with a slight degree of excusable warmth, informed them that his hotel was frequented by the first people in the country. To this Mr. Brown replied with a monosyllabic ejaculation, something between a grunt and a laugh, and then uttered another monosyllabic sound, which strongly resembled the word ' Fudge.'

Mrs. Brown was singularly silent, and did not utter a word until they were ushered into an apartment on the first floor, and ascertained that the house did front the sea. She then acutely observed, as soon as the landlord and waiter had left the room,

Well! this is the sea, however. But I am dreadfully disappointed with the gentility of the place, I must say. I expected we should have found a fine large hotel, with a grand entrance, and a large green-andgold gas-lamp on each side the door, and a middle-aged, gentlemanlike-looking landlord, and a fine woman of a landlady, and a great many waiters with white napkins, and black silk-stockings, and several lords' servants with powdered hair, and two or three carriages waiting at the door, with the coachmen asleep upon the boxes, and a great many bells ringing at the same time, and a very strong and agreeable smell of soup, and

Oh! my dear!' interrupted Mr. Brown, 'what's the use of talking in this way? Here we are, and we must make the best of it: we shall not stay long, you know.'

Here the landlord re-entered, and inquired whether his guests would please to dine.

At length dinner was served. The landlord not only placed the first dish upon the table, but waited upon his guests.

This does not appear to be a very large place,' said Mr. Brown. 'No, sir,' replied the landlord; but it is well-frequented,'

'Pray, sir,' said Mrs. Brown, 'do you happen to know whether the Dowager Lady Essex is here?'

'Yes, ma'am, she is ; she is here a good deal.'
'I suppose you know her when you see her?'
'Certainly, ma'am; I see her frequently.'
'She is not in your house, of course?'

'No, ma'am; she has a private house; but she will be here this evening. She is coming to drink tea with Mr. Rogers.'

'Indeed!' said Mrs. Brown.

'Umph!' said Mr. Brown.

'Who is Mr. Rogers?' said Mrs. Brown.

Mr. Rogers?-the poet, ma'am,' replied the landlord.

The landlord was about to make some further remark, when Mrs. Brown rose from her seat, and clapping her hands together, exclaimed,

'Rogers the poet?-You don't say so ?-What! Rogers the poet in this very house? Well, I never! Mr. Brown, my dear, I think we should have a bottle of wine.'

'Certainly, my love,' replied Mr. Brown; by all means, if you wish it. Mr. Landlord, will you get us a bottle of-What would you like, love?'

་

Ballard, ma'am.'

Mr.-what's your name?' said Mrs. Brown.

Well, then, Mr. Ballard, what wine does Rogers drink?' 'He generally drinks sherry, ma'am.'

'Then bring us a bottle, Mr. Rogers-Ballad, I mean.'

The change in Mrs. Brown's manner could not fail to be observed even by Mr. Brown, who did not, however, quite comprehend the cause why such a name as 'Rogers' should produce such an effect. 'for,' said he,' I see nothing particular in the name.'

Nothing in the name!' exclaimed Mrs. Brown. Why, surely, Mr. Brown, you must have forgotten yourself. Don't you recollect those beautiful lines I have read so often to you and the children?

'The heart that has once loved never forgets,

But keeps loving that which it prizes,

So the sun-flower turns round with the sun till it sets,

And turns back again when it rises.'

As soon as the landlord brought the wine, Mrs. Brown returned to this engrossing subject.

'Well, now, Mr. Ballad,' (for she persisted in calling him 'Ballad,' 'do tell me you say Mr. Rogers is really living here?'

Yes, ma'am,' replied the landlord.

You may hear him talking now.'

He occupies the next room.

Well, I declare, so I can!-delightful! Who is he talking to ?'

Mr. Dickens, ma'am.'

Now came Mr. Brown's turn to be animated. He laid down his knife and fork, looked the landlord full in the face, and exclaimed, 'Mr. Dickens!-you don't mean to say "Boz?"

'Yes, I do, sir,' replied the landlord.

'What! the real Boz-the Boz that wrote the Pickwick Papers ?'
The same.
He came in the omnibus with you from Margate.'

You don't say so! Only think, my dear, that we should have been talking to Boz, and not know him! How very unlucky!

Mr. and Mrs. Brown discussed this subject during the remainder of their dinner hour. They became excessively delighted with Broadstairs, which they had not yet seen; praised the extreme civility of the landlord; and, in fact, found everything now so comfortable, that they resolved to stay there the whole week.

As soon as they were left to themselves, they began seriously to consider how they could contrive to be of Rogers' tea-party. After considering every plan likely and unlikely, there was none so good as one suggested by Mrs. Brown, which was to throw herself in the way of Lady Essex when she arrived, and point blank ask her to introduce them to Mr. Rogers' party. She had no doubt that her ladyship would be glad to repay the civilities she had received from her in the packet, by an act so easy and so complimentary.

The plan being arranged, Mrs. Brown left the room. As soon as she had done so she heard voices below, and presently a lady in black made her appearance, attended by the landlord and a waiter. Mrs. Brown saw at a glance that it was not Lady Essex, therefore she merely stared her in the face, and passed on. As the landlord and waiter shortly returned, she thought she might as well inquire who it

was.

'Lady Essex, ma'am,' replied the obliging landlord.

'Pooh! nonsense!' said Mrs. Brown, with the air of a person who feels that they are either being laughed at, or are asking information from a fool. Mrs. Brown was of the latter opinion.

Often did footsteps attract her to the door; but no one made their appearance, except now and then the chambermaid. Her suspense became almost intolerable. The clock struck nine-no Lady Essex had arrived. Mrs. Brown returned grievously disappointed to her own room, where she found Mr. Brown fast asleep upon the sofa.

In vain did Mrs. Brown open upon him her entire battery of words, from the heavy metal of abuse down to the small arms of coaxing. She scolded, she remonstrated, she persuaded, she entreated-all was Mr. Brown passively endured; but nothing could rouse him to a reconsideration of the means how to accomplish Mrs Brown's absurd desire. At last she sat down and cried, and then she ordered tea, and finally they closed the eventful day by peacefully retiring to bed. Before they went to sleep, however, Mrs. Brown ventured upon this consolatory observation.

'Well, dear, it is something to say that we spent the evening in the very next room to the Dowager Lady Essex, Sam. Rogers, and Boz.' The following morning, as soon as breakfast was over, they strolled out to see the place; and, as they proceeded along the terrace, they were suddenly approached by a lady who emerged from the Library. As soon as Mrs. Brown saw her, she perceived it was her aristocratic friend; and, without communicating the fact to her husband, she commenced a series of bobbing courtseys, which the lady acknowledged by a nod as she passed.

That's the Dowager Lady Essex, my dear,' said Mrs. Brown. You perceive she knew me. Now who's right and who's wrong? They walked a little farther, when a thought suddenly struck Mrs. Brown, and she said she wished to go into the Library. Luckily,

just as she was about to enter the Library, who should encounter her but her friend.

Mrs. Brown having drawn over her face a well-washed Buckingham lace veil, concluded that her friend did not recognize her; she threw it back, therefore, and immediately addressed herself to the supposed Lady Essex, in her usual strain of compliment.

Oh my good woman,' said her friend, you; but don't call me 'my lady' here. right name,-Mademoiselle Romandin.'

I'm very much obliged to
You must call me by my

Ma'mselle Romandin !!' exciaimed Mrs. Brown, turning very pale. Then, are you not the Dowager Lady Essex?'

'No; my name is Louisa Romandin.'

Then, pray what are you, Mam'selle Louisa Romandin? asked Mrs. Brown, with great indignation.

Why, Mrs. Stewardess, if you must know, I am the Dowager Lady Essex's own lady's-maid.'

Lady

Essex's-mai-mai-a-a-a—'

'Get a glass of water, will you, my good man?' said Mr. Brown, who now began to understand better the proceedings of his wife during the last twenty-four hours.

Well, dear,' observed Mrs. Brown to her husband, as they sat in their own parlour the next evening, it was too bad of that nasty slut to spoil our tour, and pawn herself off for the Dowager Lady Essexa baggage! However, we did talk to Boz in the omnibus,-and we heard Rogers talk, and I stared the real Dowager Lady Essex full in the face-that's something to say.-Dick, are you asleep?"