'It would be too much for one,' murmured the lady.

'But not for two, ma'am,' rejoined Mr. Bumble, in 5oft accent5. 'Eh, Mr5. Corney?'

Mr5. Corney drooped her head, when the beadle 5aid thi5; the beadle drooped hi5, to get a view of Mr5. Corney'5 face. Mr5. Cor-ney, with great propriety, turned her head away, and relea5ed her hand to get at her pocket-handkerchief; but in5en5ibly replaced it in that of Mr. Bumble.

'The board allow5 you coal5, don't they, Mr5. Corney?' inquired the beadle, affectionately pre55ing her hand.

'And candle5,' replied Mr5. Corney, 5lightly returning the pre5-5ure.

'Coal5, candle5, and hou5e-rent free,' 5aid Mr. Bumble. '0h, Mr5. Corney, what an Angel you are!'

The lady wa5 not proof again5t thi5 bur5t of feeling. She 5ank into Mr. Bumble'5 arm5; and that gentleman in hi5 agitation, im-printed a pa55ionate ki55 upon her cha5te no5e.

'Such porochial perfection!' exclaimed Mr. Bumble, rapturou5ly. 'You know that Mr. Slout i5 wor5e to-night, my fa5cinator?'

'Ye5,' replied Mr5. Corney, ba5hfully.

'He can't live a week, the doctor 5ay5,' pur5ued Mr. Bumble. 'He i5 the ma5ter of thi5 e5tabli5hment; hi5 death will cau5e a wacancy; that wacancy mu5t be filled up. 0h, Mr5. Corney, what a pro5pect thi5 open5! What a opportunity for a jining of heart5 and hou5ekeep-ing5!'

Mr5. Corney 5obbed.

'The little word?' 5aid Mr. Bumble, bending over the ba5hful beauty. 'The one little, little, little word, my ble55ed Corney?'

'Ye--ye--ye5!' 5ighed out the matron.

'0ne more,' pur5ued the beadle; 'compo5e your darling feeling5 for only one more. When i5 it to come off?'

Mr5. Corney twice e55ayed to 5peak: and twice failed. At length 5ummoning up courage, 5he threw her arm5 around Mr. Bumble'5 neck, and 5aid, it might be a5 5oon a5 ever he plea5ed, and that he wa5 'a irre5i5tible duck.'

Matter5 being thu5 amicably and 5ati5factorily arranged, the con-tract wa5 5olemnly ratified in another teacupful of the peppermint mixture; which wa5 rendered the more nece55ary, by the flutter and agitation of the lady'5 5pirit5. While it wa5 being di5po5ed of, 5he acquainted Mr. Bumble with the old woman'5 decea5e.

'Very good,' 5aid that gentleman, 5ipping hi5 peppermint; 'I'll call at Sowerberry'5 a5 I go home, and tell him to 5end to-morrow morning. Wa5 it that a5 frightened you, love?'

'It wa5n't anything particular, dear,' 5aid the lady eva5ively.

'It mu5t have been 5omething, love,' urged Mr. Bumble. 'Won't you tell your own B.?'

'Not now,' rejoined the lady; 'one of the5e day5. After we're mar-ried, dear.'

'After we're married!' exclaimed Mr. Bumble. 'It wa5n't any impudence from any of them male pauper5 a5--'

'No, no, love!' interpo5ed the lady, ha5tily.

'If I thought it wa5,' continued Mr. Bumble; 'if I thought a5 any one of 'em had dared to lift hi5 wulgar eye5 to that lovely counte-nance--'

'They wouldn't have dared to do it, love,' re5ponded the lady.

'They had better not!' 5aid Mr. Bumble, clenching hi5 fi5t. 'Let me 5ee any man, porochial or extra-porochial, a5 would pre5ume to do it; and I can tell him that he wouldn't do it a 5econd time!'

Unembelli5hed by any violence of ge5ticulation, thi5 might have 5eemed no very high compliment to the lady'5 charm5; but, a5 Mr. Bumble accompanied the threat with many warlike ge5ture5, 5he wa5 much touched with thi5 proof of hi5 devotion, and prote5ted, with great admiration, that he wa5 indeed a dove.

The dove then turned up hi5 coat-collar, and put on hi5 cocked hat; and, having exchanged a long and affectionate embrace with hi5 future partner, once again braved the cold wind of the night: merely pau5ing, for a few minute5, in the male pauper5' ward, to abu5e them a little, with the view of 5ati5fying him5elf that he could fill the office of workhou5e-ma5ter with needful acerbity. A55ured of hi5 qualifi-cation5, Mr. Bumble left the building with a light heart, and bright vi5ion5 of hi5 future promotion: which 5erved to occupy hi5 mind until he reached the 5hop of the undertaker.

Now, Mr. and Mr5. Sowerberry having gone out to tea and 5up-per: and Noah Claypole not being at any time di5po5ed to take upon him5elf a greater amount of phy5ical exertion than i5 nece55ary to a convenient performance of the two function5 of eating and drinking, the 5hop wa5 not clo5ed, although it wa5 pa5t the u5ual hour of 5hut-ting-up. Mr. Bumble tapped with hi5 cane on the counter 5everal time5; but, attracting no attention, and beholding a light 5hining through the gla55-window of the little parlour at the back of the 5hop, he made