better. He was comfortably settled, that was sure, and we all know that when we get comfortably settled, no matter where it may be, we are in no hurry for a change, even though it may be probably for the better. If a man falls asleep in his chair, it takes a great deal of persuasion to remove him. thence to his bed, though a bed is generally considered to be a better place for sleeping than a chair.

Indulging in this train of reflection, interrupted only by an occasional exhortation to some intruder not to get between him and the fire, or a polite refusal to a few civil invitations of "Pultuney take a chestnut," or some other article of consumption that had just been cooked before the fire, he was roused from his meditations by a tap on the shoulder, and turning round to see what was the matter, a letter was put into his hand by a little boy, who instantly departed.

It was written upon gilt-edged paper, neatly folded, sealed, and directed to "Peregrine Pultuney, Esq.," but it had evidently not come by the post. Peregrine did not know what to make of it, so he lost no time in breaking it open, and making himself master of its contents. Two or three big boys, who sat near him at the fire, were observed to "nudge" one another, and to look at our hero as he read the letter. There was a bland smile upon all their faces too, so it was evident that there was no treason in it-it was not a go-off sort of

letter-nothing of the swing about it. We are happy to state that it ran thus:

"DEAR PULTUNEY,- We, the undersigned members of the Senior-room and the Senior Cricketclub, anxious to testify our strong sense of your merits, as a good fellow in every sense of the word, as well as our heartfelt regret at your approaching departure from amongst us, request the pleasure of your company at a supper and a carousal to night in the Senior-room, at the hour of twelve precisely. “We are, dear Pultuney,

"Your affectionate friends,

"HORACE STYLES,

"VINCENT VAUX,

"SAMUEL SKINNER, &c. &c. &c."

and here followed five or six names of five or six big boys, who shared with Peregrine Pultuney the privileges of the "Senior-room."

To the supper and carousal Peregrine Pultuney had no manner of objection. It is astonishing what a facility that young gentleman had of doing what he ingenuously called "accommodating himself to circumstances." He had been known more than once to do this sort of thing surprisingly well in the Cider Cellars, the Fives Court, and on the box of a stage-coach; and it is a remarkable fact, that upon one occasion, having been confined in the school lock-up room for some offence committed or imagined, he accommodated himself so admirably to circumstances, that he rendered all the window

bars moveable for the benefit of future sufferers, by the simple aid of a turnscrew in a pocket-knife, and proceeded immediately to regale himself in the coffee-room of the nearest hotel; having done which, he bought two shillings' worth of cigars, and returned home to fumigate his apartment, and destroy the insects for the advantage of posterity.

Twelve o'clock came at last; but it was a long time coming, as every body knows it must be, when one has to sit up for it, in a state of indecision as to the propriety of turning in for a couple of hours or watching out the whole time. We have waited for a good many things in our day, but we know nothing more truly harassing to one's patience than waiting from nine o'clock, when the legitimate lights are extinguished, till half-past eleven or twelve, when one may reasonably conjecture the family has gone to bed, and venture accordingly to begin one's carousal. The propriety of going to sleep for two or three hours is dubious-somebody must sit up to wake the others at the appointed time, and if that somebody has no one to talk to, the chances are that he will fall asleep. And then again, if you take a nap you are not well pleased to be wakened, and you are a good half-hour before you have made up your mind that you would not much rather have slept on; all which things tend very much to lessen the advantages of the supper and the carousal; so on the whole it is the wiser plan to sit up with one's clothes on, and beguile the time as one

can.

Every thing was in proper training. The wines and spirits had been procured through the agency of one of the maid-servants, whose father kept a public-house; there was a bottle behind every boy's pillow, rolled up in his nightshirt; there were six lemons in one of Style's boots, and two dozen cigars in the other; there were tumblers and wineglasses in Skinner's hat-box, and Vaux had broken his basin that morning, on purpose to have a new one for a punchbowl. Altogether the contrivances were of a most ingenious description, and might have evaded the vigilance of the far-famed Townshend himself. Who could have suspected that the comely row of broken-backed Livys, Herodotuses, and other classical authors, which the boys of the senior-room were "out of," concealed behind their innocent ranks, a museum of boiled lobsters, veal pies, and cold chickens? Who could have supposed that the unsuspicious-looking portfolio, that stood up in such an artist-like manner on the top of that old press, was a bulk-head which hid from the view a phalanx of blue and white plates? And could the most astute of human ushers have guessed that behind Master Pultuney's Hederic Lexicon there was actually a small grocer's shop, containing, amongst divers other articles, a pound of lump sugar, a bottle of vinegar, some salt, some pepper, some mustard, a bottle of olives, and a box of lucifers? It was indeed admirably arranged, the lights had been seen "out" by the usher, and the boys

had been seen in. It was plain no one suspected the festivities that were then preparing. The usher had wished them good night in his usual unmeaning tone of voice, and had walked down stairs the same way as usual. Styles proposed that they should "tell a story all round," to keep one another awake; but it was found, after a short trial, that this process had quite a contrary effect, Pultuney's story being the only one that was not accompanied by a running commentary of pretty audible snores. Conversation then followed promiscuously, and when it flagged, a song was proposed, but this was voted a dangerous experiment, so Peregrine Pultuney, in despair, got hold of Styles' left boot, promised to wake the rest, and began "blowing a cloud."

This he did, very much to his own satisfaction, until the two dozen cigars in Styles' left boot had been reduced to one dozen and nine. He then looked at his watch by the light of a lucifer, found it was half-past eleven, and woke up his companions.

They looked out of window-the "Senior-room" was in one wing of the house, from which they could see the main building. All seemed perfectly quiet, no lights were visible, and no sound heard. It was time to lay out the table; but as you must first catch your hare, so you must first get your table, and to accomplish this an incursion was to be made into the "eating-room," whence a small table was to be furtively abstracted. This feat was speedily accomplished, for the eating-room "lay