than she bore in England. (The very men,
by the bye, who extorted this charge might
have sailed unmolested in and out of our own
harbour at Ramsgate free of charge.)

It oozed out that these officials were not
only rapacious, but seemed to consider themselves
deeply injured by the manner in which
the travellers had come to the place.

"Mais c'est très-gênaut," said these gentlemen,
"these voyagers come neither by the
steamboat nor the railway—c'est très-
gênant!"

It oozed out that the captain of the lugger
had turned out a capital fellow, and that he
had got into a state of the most uncontrollable
exultation at having gone up the harbour,
which is about two miles long, with his
mainsail and jib set; a feat which would
have been more astonishing, perhaps, if it
was not done every day by ships of five
hundred tons burden. Nevertheless, he had
insisted on considering it an extraordinary
achievement, and said, "The French don't
often see anything like that." This officer
had spent the day of their return (that day
of mighty calm) in saying, "Pretty breeze,"
softly to himself as he stood at the helm, as
if to persuade himself that they were getting
on rather at a slashing pace than otherwise.

These things, and a few other small matters,
did then at intervals ooze out. But what
were they to my thirsty soul? I felt that it
was all very well to be considerate, but that
I owed it to myself (I don't know why, but
it is a useful expression, when you want very
much to do a thing, to say that you owe it to
yourself to do it), I owed it to myself to
understand once for all what had been the
actual impression left on the minds of my
friends by their late excursion. So I watched
my opportunity, and when, after certain
potations of whiskey-punch, I detected a
slight gleam of cheerfulness dawning upon
their faces, I deemed it the right moment
to administer one or two searching questions
which should set my mind at rest as to the
success of the Dunkerque cruise.

"Well!" I said, cheerily, coming to
generals, after having tried one or two
questions as to particulars, which I did not
find a good plan; "well, now, how have you
got on altogether?"

"O! pretty well, you know," replied my
half-brother, who took upon him principally
to answer for the party.

"Charming sail there!" observed Purkis,
from a distant sofa.

"How did the crew turn out?"

"O! they were capital fellows when we
got to sea."

"Ah! But now, about Dunkerque, you
know—about the place itself?"

"Yes; what about it?"

"Well; that's what I want to know.
Come, now, was there any interest about the
place at all?"

"Well; they couldn't say there was!"

"Had it a Shandyan look?"

"No; it hadn't a Shandyan look—O, no!"

"Were there any fine buildings about the
place?"

"No; no fine buildings."

"Any antiquities?"

"No; no antiquities—but, then, they had
had such a delightful sail there!"

"Yes; and how about the sail back? That
didn't look very delightful?"

"No; that wasn't so successful, certainly."

I forebore to press them further. Very
shortly the morose and sleepy stage of
whiskey-and-water set in, and no more tidings
relative to this memorable cruise were to be
obtained.

One piece of information connected with
it, by the bye, which had already forced itself
upon my attention, was destined to reach me
in an official form. I had just got into bed,
and was thinking of my first sleep, when I
was disturbed by hearing the door of my
bedroom opened gently, and the voice of
Purkis calling me softly by name.

"I say, Charley," said Purkis.

"Well!" I shrieked; "what's the matter?"

"O, nothing! " said Purkis; "but with
regard to our cruise to Dunkerque."

"Yes—what about it?"

"Why, don't say anything about it, you
know; but the fact is, it was a failure."

"Good gracious me!" I said; "I was
afraid of that."

"Yes," said Purkis. "I thought I'd mention
it—good night!"

"Good night, my dear fellow! I'm so
sorry."

"Charming sail there, though! " muttered
Purkis, as he left my room.

                        MR, CHARLES DICKENS'S
                                    READINGS.
MR. CHARLES DICKENS will read at HULL on the 26th
and 27th; at LEEDS on the 28th; and at SHEFFIELD on
the 29th of October; at LEAMINGTON on the 2nd of
November; at WOLVERHAMPTON on the 3rd; at LEICESTER
on the 4th; at OXFORD on the 5th and 6th; at SOUTHAMPTON
on the 9th and 10th; at PORTSMOUTH on the
11th; and at BRIGHTON on the 12th. and 13th of
November;
     WHICH WILL TERMINATE THE SERIES OF READINGS.

        Now ready, price Five Shillings and Sixpence,
                              bound in cloth,
                  THE SEVENTEENTH VOLUME
                                        OF
                        HOUSEHOLD WORDS.
Containing the Numbers issued between the Nineteenth
      of December last year, and the Twelfth of June in
                             the present year.
     This and the preceding volumes may be had of all
                                Booksellers.