[No. 3.]

—- STREET, First-floor, April 31st, 18—.

Mr. Pluffers begs to acknowledge Mrs. Smallchange's
favour of the 31st inst., and respectfully to inquire the
grounds of her unwillingness, and that of Mr. S., to
give Mr. P. an answer at once. Do they consider
Mr. P.'s means insufficient?

[No. 4.]

—- STREET, Parlours, April 31st, 18—.

Mrs. Smallchange is not actuated, nor is Mr. S., by
pecuniary considerations. Mrs. Smallchange will give
her daughter to any man who will fondly cherish her.

[No. 5.]

—- STREET, First-floor, April 31st, 18—.

Mr. Pluffers acknowledges Mrs. Smallchange's second
favour of the 31st inst., and begs to intimate, in reply,
that he is prepared fondly to cherish Miss Smallchange.
He therefore hopes for an early and favourable answer
to his application. Mr. P. also begs to inform Mrs. S.
that he has not tasted food since the morning, nor will
he do so till an answer in some degree final has
reached him on a subject nearly concerning—as
mentioned in first letter—Mr. P.'s peace of mind.

[No. 6.]

—- STREET, Parlours, April 31st, 18—.

Mrs. Smallchange is of opinion, and so is Mr. S.,
that Mr. Pluffers' last letter is, in many respects,
a satisfactory one; and Mrs. S. strongly recommends
him to get some dinner immediately, as she can give
Mr. P. no more conclusive answer than this just at
present.

With this reply, which somewhat raises
his hopes, Mr. Pluffers is obliged to be, for
the present, satisfied, and proceeds to swallow
as much tepid Irish-stew as he can
conveniently get down.

Some idea may be formed from the letters
which we have quoted above of the nature of
Mr. Pluffers' courtship. Two or three times
a day his fate was altered; and, as Miss
Anna was perfectly passive in the matter,
and declined to interfere with her destiny, it
seems probable that if Mrs. Smallchange had
not been goaded into decision at last by the
superior indecision of Mr. S., the wedding-day
would never have been fixed at all.

Mr. and Mrs. Smallcliange were sitting in
their parlour on the eve of the day which it
had been settled should at last put a period
to the sufferings of the unfortunate Mr,
Pluffers. They had had a leg of mutton for
dinner, which had been half boiled and half
roasted, being indebted for this singular
form of cookery (which caused the twenty-third
cook to give instant warning) to doubts
which had arisen in Mrs. Smallchange's
mind as to the best mode of preparing the
joint in question—doubts which had resulted
in favour of the roasting process, only,
unhappily, when the mutton had been some
hour and a-half in the boiling water. They
were sitting there, and digesting this cheerful
meal as rapidly as might be, when the following
startling conversation took place:

"My dear," said Mr. Smallchange, " is this
wedding really to take place?"

"Well, I suppose, it must now, Mr. Smallchange,"
replied the lady.

Here there was a short pause, and Miss
Anna, who was making wedding-favours,
looked up for a moment, and then went on
with her task.

"My dear," Mr. Smallchange recommenced,
"I am not at all sure that I like this match.
Isn't Mr. Pluffers much older than Anna?"

"Why, of course he is," said Mrs. Smallchange.
"Have you only just discovered
that?" (Mr. Pluffers was fifty-five if he
was a day.)

"It never struck me before," said Mr.
Smallchange, meditatively. " Well, you
know that will never do. Can't anything be
done to stop it?"

"Why, how CAN anything be done now?"
replied Mrs. S., " all the preparations are
made, and the people invited for to-morrow."

"And the thing must really go on, then?"
asked Mr. Smallchange, helplessly.

"Not if you disapprove of it, Mr. Smallchange,"
replied the lady. The chronic indecision
was beginning to work in HER now.
"Not if you disapprove of it."

"O! it isn't exactly that I disapprove of
it, you know," Mr. Smallchange answered;
"I should be. very sorry to say "that I
disapproved of it."

"Whether you say it or not, I am quite
sure that you do disapprove of it," said Mrs.
Smallchange, " and under those circumstances,
I cannot but feel that it is my duty—averse
as I am to unsettle what has once been
decided on—to put a stop to this ill-assorted
union. O, dear me! " continued the good
lady, plaintively, " why did we ever go and
decide that such a wedding should take
place?"

"O, dear me!" echoed Mr. Smallchange.

"At all events," said Mrs. Smallchange,
valorously, " I am determined that it shall
not come off to-morrow."

At this moment Miss Anna, having just
completed a favour, proceeded to place it in
the basket along with the others, and taking
a new supply of ribbon, began to make a
fresh one.

"My dear," said her excellent mama,
perceiving this, " you needn't make any more
favours."

"Very well, mama," replied the young
lady, cheerfully.

"Have you not heard," continued Mrs.
Smallchange, " that your papa and I have
decided that the wedding is not to take
place?"

"Yes, mama."

"Then why, my dear, do you go on with,
the favours?"

"Because, mama, I thought perhaps you
might alter your minds about it."

"No, Anna, no; I never alter MY mind.
Mr. Smallchauge does, it is true; but tell
me, my child, I suppose you have no objection
to this change of affairs?"