Because

it is decidedly the case with us. My poor sister Charlotte who was

next me and died before she was fourteen, was a striking example.

Little Jane is the same. In her desire to be matrimonially

established, you might suppose her to have passed her short

existence in the perpetual contemplation of domestic bliss. Little

Alick in a frock has already made arrangements for his union with a

suitable young person at Kew. And indeed, I think we are all

engaged, except the baby."

"Then you are?" said I.

"I am," said Herbert; "but it's a secret."

I assured him of my keeping the secret, and begged to be favoured

with further particulars. He had spoken so sensibly and feelingly

of my weakness that I wanted to know something about his strength.

"May I ask the name?" I said.

"Name of Clara," said Herbert.

"Live in London?"

"Yes. perhaps I ought to mention," said Herbert, who had become

curiously crestfallen and meek, since we entered on the interesting

theme, "that she is rather below my mother's nonsensical family

notions. Her father had to do with the victualling of

passenger-ships. I think he was a species of purser."

"What is he now?" said I.

"He's an invalid now," replied Herbert.

"Living on - ?"

"On the first floor," said Herbert. Which was not at all what I

meant, for I had intended my question to apply to his means. "I

have never seen him, for he has always kept his room overhead,

since I have known Clara. But I have heard him constantly. He makes

tremendous rows - roars, and pegs at the floor with some frightful

instrument." In looking at me and then laughing heartily, Herbert

for the time recovered his usual lively manner.

"Don't you expect to see him?" said I.

"Oh yes, I constantly expect to see him," returned Herbert,

"because I never hear him, without expecting him to come tumbling

through the ceiling. But I don't know how long the rafters may

hold."

When he had once more laughed heartily, he became meek again, and

told me that the moment he began to realize Capital, it was his

intention to marry this young lady. He added as a self-evident

proposition, engendering low spirits, "But you can't marry, you

know, while you're looking about you."

As we contemplated the fire, and as I thought what a difficult

vision to realize this same Capital sometimes was, I put my hands

in my pockets. A folded piece of paper in one of them attracting my

attention, I opened it and found it to be the playbill I had

received from Joe, relative to the celebrated provincial amateur of

Roscian renown. "And bless my heart," I involuntarily added aloud,

"it's to-night!"

This changed the subject in an instant, and made us hurriedly

resolve to go to the play. So, when I had pledged myself to comfort

and abet Herbert in the affair of his heart by all practicable and

impracticable means, and when Herbert had told me that his

affianced already knew me by reputation and that I should be

presented to her, and when we had warmly shaken hands upon our

mutual confidence, we blew out our candles, made up our fire,

locked our door, and issued forth in quest of Mr. Wopsle and

Denmark.

Chapter 31

On our arrival in Denmark, we found the king and queen of that

country elevated in two arm-chairs on a kitchen-table, holding a

Court. The whole of the Danish nobility were in attendance;

consisting of a noble boy in the wash-leather boots of a gigantic

ancestor, a venerable Peer with a dirty face who seemed to have

risen from the people late in life, and the Danish chivalry with a

comb in its hair and a pair of white silk legs, and presenting on

the whole a feminine appearance. My gifted townsman stood gloomily

apart, with folded arms, and I could have wished that his curls and

forehead had been more probable.

Several curious little circumstances transpired as the action

proceeded.