lord Monteith, and accept Henry Powerfcourt, and to reprobate the extravagant demand of eight hundred a-year for pin-money, on which the intended bride had pofitively infifted. Another of Fame's bufy meffengers was a gentleman fox-hunter, a man of extreme caution and undoubted veracity, who affirmed at lord W.'s public dinner, that he had met two barristers and a ferjeant at law riding poft to fir William's that very day. On one of the company observing, that three lawyers confulting upon a fettlement was rather unufual, fquire Western affirmed with an oath, that one of his neighbours told him fir William would have it fo: "These lawyers," faid he, " are fad

quarrelfome fellows, and if two of "them fhould difagree, I will have the "third ready to be umpire; for the "wedding fhall take place next week."

Nobody

A TALE OF THE TIMES.

179

Nobody now could doubt his teftimony, the words were fo very like what fir William would say.

When the gentlemen adjourned to the drawing-room, the busy sprite I have before alluded to had taken poffeffion of that goodly field, and instigated a lady, at the hazard of engroffing too much of the conversation, to enumerate all the bride's paraphernalia. One part of the company indeed affirmed, that they were told Mifs Powerfcourt fecretly dif approved of the match; but three young ladies, influenced by the fame fupernatural agency, protefted that they knew better. They were, they faid, her very intimate friends, and were entrusted by her with the fecret of her attachment to her coufin, which had fubfifted from their earlieft years. During these narratives, the countenance of Monteith varied from the crimfon glow of rage to

lord Monteith, and accept Henry Powerfcourt, and to reprobate the extravagant demand of eight hundred a-year for pin-money, on which the intended bride had pofitively infifted. Another of Fame's bufy meffengers was a gentleman fox-hunter, a man of extreme caution and undoubted veracity, who affirmed at lord W.'s public dinner, that he had met two barristers and a ferjeant at law riding poft to fir William's that very day. On one of the company observing, that three lawyers confulting upon a fettlement was rather unufual, fquire Weftern affirmed with an oath, that one of his neighbours told him fir William would have it fo: "These lawyers," faid he, are fad

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quarrelfome fellows, and if two of "them fhould difagree, I will have the "third ready to be umpire; for the wedding fhall take place next week." dy