stop, Mr. Pesca — before you go to your friend
you had better take a note.' 'Bank-note!' I
say, indignantly. 'No bank-note, if you please,
till my brave Englishman has earned it first.'
'Bank-note?' says Papa, in a great surprise,
'who talked of bank-note? I mean a note of
the terms— a memorandum of what he is
expected to do. Go on with your lesson, Mr.
Pesca, and I will give you the necessary extract
from my friend's letter.' Down sits the man
of merchandise and money to his pen, ink, and
paper; and down I go once again into the Hell
of Dante, with my three young Misses after me.
In ten minutes' time the note is written, and
the boots of Papa are creaking themselves away
in the passage outside. From that moment, on
my faith, and soul, and honour, I know nothing
more! The glorious thought that I have caught
my opportunity at last, and that my grateful
service for my dearest friend in the world is as
good as done already, flies up into my head and
makes me drunk. How I pull my young Misses
and myself out of our Infernal Region again,
how my other business is done afterwards, how
my little bit of dinner slides itself down my
throat, I know no more than a man in the moon.
Enough for me, that here I am, with the mighty
merchant's note in my hand, as large as life, as
hot as fire, and as happy as a king! Ha! ha!
ha! right-right-right-all-right!" Here the
Professor waved the memorandum of terms over
his head, and ended his long and voluble narrative
with his shrill Italian parody on an English
cheer.

My mother rose the moment he had done,
with flushed cheeks and brightened eyes. She
caught the little man warmly by both hands.

"My dear, good Pesca," she said, "I never
doubted your true affection for Walter— but I
am more than ever persuaded of it now!"

"I am sure we are very much obliged to
Professor Pesca, for Walter's sake," added Sarah.
She half rose, while she spoke, as if to approach
the arm-chair, in her turn; but, observing that
Pesca was rapturously kissing my mother's
hands, looked serious, and resumed her seat.
"If the familiar little man treats my mother in
that way, how will he treat me?" Faces
sometimes tell truth; and that was unquestionably
the thought in Sarah's mind, as she sat down
again.

Although I was myself gratefully sensible of
the kindness of Pesca's motives, my spirits were
hardly so much elevated as they ought to have
been by the prospect of future employment now
placed before me. When the Professor had
quite done with my mother's hands, and when
I had warmly thanked him for his interference
on my behalf, I asked to be allowed to look at
the note of terms which his respectable patron
had drawn up for my inspection.

Pesca handed me the paper, with a triumphant
flourish of the hand.

"Read!" said the little man, majestically.
"I promise you, my friend, the writing of the
golden Papa speaks with a tongue of trumpets
for itself."

The note of terms was plain, straightforward,
and comprehensive, at any rate. It informed
me,

First, That Frederick Fairlie, Esquire, of
Limmeridge House, Cumberland, wanted to
engage the services of a thoroughly competent
drawing-master, for a period of four months
certain.

Secondly, That the duties which the master
was expected to perform would be of a twofold
kind. He was to superintend the instruction
of two young ladies in the art of painting in
water-colours; and he was to devote his leisure
time, afterwards, to the business of arranging
and mounting a valuable collection of drawings,
which had been suffered to fall into a condition
of total neglect.

Thirdly, That the terms offered to the person
who should undertake and properly perform
these duties, were four guineas a week; that he
was to reside at Limmeridge House; and that
he was to be treated there on the footing of a
gentleman.

Fourthly, and lastly, That no person need
think of applying for this situation, unless he
could furnish the most unexceptionable
references to character and abilities. The references
were to be sent to Mr. Fairlie's friend in
London, who was empowered to conclude all
necessary arrangements. These instructions were
followed by the name and address of Pesca's
employer in Portland-place— and there the note,
or memorandum, ended.

The prospect which this offer of an engagement
held out was certainly an attractive one.
The employment was likely to be both easy and
agreeable; it was proposed to me at the autumn
time of year when I was least occupied; and
the terms, judging by my personal experience in
my profession, were surprisingly liberal. I knew
this; I knew that I ought to consider myself
very fortunate if I succeeded in securing the
offered employment— and yet, no sooner had I
read the memorandum than I felt an
inexplicable unwillingness within me to stir in the
matter. I had never in the whole of my
previous experience found my duty and my inclination
so painfully and so unaccountably at variance
as I found them now.

"Oh, Walter, your father never had such a
chance as this!" said my mother, when she
had read the note of terms and had handed it
back to me.

"Such distinguished people to know,"
remarked Sarah, straightening herself in her
chair; "and on such gratifying terms of
equality, too!"

"Yes, yes; the terms, in every sense, are
empting enough," I replied, impatiently.
"But, before I send in my testimonials, I
should like a little time to consider——"

"Consider!" exclaimed my mother. "Why,
Walter, what is the matter with you!"

"Consider!" echoed my sister. "What a
very extraordinary thing to say, under the
circumstances!"

"Consider!" chimed in the Professor.