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w be confessed’‘Cuom, cuom, Meister.
Toop,' bawled the grazier, in a louder tone
■ of voice cuom-the joke's over, you
maun cuom in now!' The spirit, however,
■ had vanished, and the incantations of the
grazier appeared to be ineffectual to raise
it again. That's waundy strange, arn't
S. it, young gentleman; whuoy-what the
dickons is the mun about? Here, missis,
d'ye knaw fairmer Toop?' Anan, sir,'
D'ye knaw the fairmer as just left the
ruom? No, sir, never seed him in my
born days before." • Weel weel, he'll be
bock at his laisure; so here's to your
amendment, young gentleman.'

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Pen thanked him as in duty bound, and then again expressed how deeply he felt the kindness and commiseration of the good grazier. He took down his address, for the purpose of remitting him the advances he had made, and declaring himself able to find his way home, was about to take his leave.

"In the course ged into one of wit and learning

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the parish of St James ed for two or three books, occasion, sat down at i well supplied with the lications of the day. He had seated, when a little shrewd los laying down a volume he had been running over, was asked by a gentleman who sat next to him, What he thought of the work?' which proved to be a ministerial pamphlet. A poor thing, sir." They say it is by' (whispered his neighbour). It may be; it's quite bad enough for him.". Bad enough! Mr Pepperal: why surely he is one of the cleverest writers of the party.' That may be,' returned the critic, with a significant sneer, and yet he may nevertheless be the author of this precious defence.' I have heard,' observed a third gentleman, who just lifted his eyes from *** Stoup a bit,' cried the grazier, I the newspaper he was reading, the work will see thee on thee way I'll just woip attributed to another person. Very likeoff this score.—Mistress, what's to pay ? ly,' replied Mr Pepperal; but my friend Five and eleven pence farthing, sir.' Gossiper is, I believe, correct in his opi'Weel, weel,-ye knaw hoo to rin up a nion." I rather think not, sir,' retorted score as well as yere betters; but no mat- the other, still reading his paper. I rather ters' so thrusting his hand into his breeches' think, sir,' observed Pepperal, with a selfpocket for his money bag Oh, reader, sufficient air, it is; I am not apt to be he found how inimitable an actor was deceived, since I form my judgment rather that farmer Noah Tup. 'Hey, whuot!' upon internal than external evidence." exclaimed the gaping grazier, ma pocket Your judgment may satisfy yourself, sir,' turned insoide out !Holloa, why, I'm replied the reader. It will satisfy others, robbed, plundered, pickpocketed. Mur. I presume, sir,' retorted Mr Pepperal. der!-there be foorty good poonds gone. Not mine, sir, coolly replied his antaStop him, ye rascals!Woman, woman, gonist. But, sir,' interposed Mr GosI'll ruin your house! I'm sure, say siper, I know it to be Mr Sir,' your vorst, no one ever dar'st to utter a turning with some asperity upon the last vord against my ouse. Why, I've been speaker, I know it to be another's." robbed, plundered in it, woman! Not in my ouse, I'll be sworn,' cried the landlady. Why, look thee, old fule,-an't my pockets clean picked? That were not in my ouse, I'll stand it to any justice's face in the three kingums.' Hell and fury, auld brute ye! wad ye talk me ut o' my seven senses? Senses or no sensee, never was robbery committed in my ouse, and I'll take my davy of it, this blessed night before I sleep. Here, Peg, bring down that here Bible.' What, ha' I to do wi' your swearing and your davy, wuoman; it won't swear back my money bag. I'm lost, undone.' Pray heaven, not,' exclaimed Pen, who had not yet interfered; are you sure? Sure, whoy I felt it in my pouch when I cualled the rascala ninnyhammer, and rattled it in defiance; war there ever such a

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Here is one specimen of the low life of the novel. Now for another, but quite in a different walk, for the scene is a bookseller's shop, not quite a mile from Charing-Cross.

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That can't be, sir; I had it from undoubted authority,' said Gossiper, The judgment of your friend, Mr Pepperal, I presume,' with a sneer, said the stranger.

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No, sir-from much better.' Leave the gentleman to his opinion,' cried Pepperal, turning towards Gossiper, with a look that seemed intended to awe his adversary into silence; the author need be obliged to no man for discovering him.'

"Pen, who was never yet in society without contributing to the conversation, here asked Mr Pepperal in what the demerits of the work, which he had taken up, upon Gossiper's laying it down, consisted. What, sir!' answered Pepperal, with an air of surprise, evidently occasioned by the free and easy air of the interrogator; what should they consist in ?' I mean, sir,' replied Pen, is it the style or the matter that you condemn ? Both, sir, bluntly exclaimed the other. And yet the few sentences I have read I should ra ther be disposed to approve." You ap prove!' cried Pepperal, with an expression that really evinced surprise. Yes, sir

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is passed with all the solemnity of a juridical verdict. The process is completed by some general observations on the subject under discussion, revealed, perhaps, for the first time, by the unfortunate author himself, or aided by the ingenious practice of index hunting. This man, thus qualified, is now the editor of a popular review, and is the dread and scourge of those who formerly held his talents in such utter contempt, that they would have laughed in his face, had he ventured an opinion upon any literary subject in their presence.' Upon my word, sir,' said Pen, you surprise me. I considered the art of criticism to have been one of the noblest―' And, like every thing noble and excellent, subject, in due proportion, to be travestied and rendered ridiculous. I know this man well, sir. He speaks just what he has picked up in the last book, or last conversation he has been engaged in. You may know where he was yesterday by the flavour of his observations, to-day. His jokes, when he adventures upon one, are spoiled proverbs. And his wit, when he attempts it, is the mere art of covering what is threadbare with a woof of his own manufacture, that betrays the botch.' A man of this sort surely, sir,' said Pen Owen, must be scouted from decent society.' So far from it, sir, he is courted, and dined, and lionized from house to house among the great, and little great.' Amazing! exclaimed Pen, that a man who could not procure a dinner by his own wit, should revel in luxury and fame, by decrying the wit of others.' You are, by your acknowledgment, sir,' replied Mr Duster, fresh on the town; and I have no doubt, when you are better acquainted with what is going forward, your present amazement will be attenuated by being spread over a larger surface, until at last you will learn to be astonished at nothing in this great world.'

At this moment two or three new comers approached the table, who all sa luted Mr Duster as an old acquaintance. A gentleman of the party, taking up the pamphlet, already the object of so much discussion, asked one of his companions if he had read it. Excellent,' answered he; I could not leave it after I had read the first two or three pages. I hear it is

It might be his, indeed, if we were to judge from the display of political knowledge and official information And its wit the true genuine attic turn---here, give it me. I think this is one of the hap piest instances of the vis comica I ever met with,' reading aloud an extract from the Still,' said the third gentleman, who had not yet spoken, I doubt the correctness of your suspicions.'

work.

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Pen began to anticipate a new battle of book-worms, and was rising from his seat, when Mr Duster, gently touching

his arm, invited him with a smile and a flus which bespoke, some acti pleasure about to offer itself. "Indeed," answered the sp held the book,

taken. laughing, Duster ??

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I think I cannot Indeed,' retorted the other but you are is he not, Mr

"Duster evidently wished to look more confused than he did; but the reference did not appear to interrupt the pamphlet reader, who seemed again struck by some new beauty, which he pointed out to his companion; so that Mr Duster's confusion was lost upon part of the company. Whe ther it was with a view to clear himself from the implied charge, or whether he had any other motive, the reader will hereafter learn; but Mr Duster was the first to break silence, after the delighted critic had closed the book, with some very hearty general commendations.

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Nay, nay, my dear sir,' applying himself to his accuser, with as confused an air as he could call up, it is not fair, it is not indeed, to charge any nonsensical publication, that attracts public attention upon➡' 'My good friend,' observed the other, this is a publication any man in the country may be proud of.' • My dear sir, you confuse me,' stammered Mr Duster, labouring to give countenance to his words. Is it really so ?' asked the critic, turning to his companion, in a whisper. Positively,' affirmed the other. • You really are too bad,' said Mr Duster, rising from his seat, and hurrying into the shop, as if to make his escape: เ you are not to be trusted. I mean-good morning, gentlemen.-Good morning, sir,' turning towards Pen, who, struck by the novelty of the scene, arose also to take his departure."

We shall now exhibit the author of Pen Owen on higher ground. In a word, let the reader be aware, that the hero, after being so fortunate as to make the acquaintance of Mr MODELY, a publisher of the huut ton, is invited to a regular London dinner, which is followed by a regular London rout, elbow, in "Sir Bland Blinkingsoph's and then imagine himself at Pen Owen's drawing-room. We need scarcely preinise for the edification even of the uninitiated, that all the characters are real, and that Sparkle is Tom Sheridan, as surely as Modely is ******.

"Just as Tom had taken our hero's

arm, and was advancing into another room, Pen pointed towards an individual who was paying earnest attention to the conversation of a dowager, and observed to his friend, that he had scarcely ever seen a countenance, expressive of so much good sense, and, at the same time, so much ur

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