brooches, rings, bracelets, necklets, lockets, set with jewels of every hue.

"Here thou mayest lay out that thousand pounds which Falstaff will pay thee back anon, Master Shallow," I suggested, in Shallow's own vein.

"I know not how, unless I buy the entire shop," said Shallow, "and that may not be; but let us in, and see these Brummagem wares."

وو

""Tis well we buy some sweet trinket for Mistress Quickly."

"Aye marry, well said i' faith," Shallow replies.

A pair of ear-rings set with emeralds, a diamond ring, and a brooch of rubies and pearls, were our united purchases, and Shallow paid elevenpence for the whole of this magnificent collection.

"At dinner, during the courses, let these jewels and art treasures come in ready packed

and directed to the company, eh, Master Shallow? Gifts from admirers who saw them play, eh, Master Shallow ?"

"Excellent, i' faith," responded Shallow.

"Thou art a man after mine own heart, Master Shallow, and wilt continue if thou❜lt only forswear long pipes and live in some fashion. We have heard the chimes at midnight, Master Shallow, we have seen merry times."

"That we have, that we have," Shallow rejoined, always up in his part, "in faith, Sir John, we have; our watchword was Hem! boys! Come, let's to dinner, come let's to dinner. O the days that we have seen! Come, come."

And we "comed," as Artemus Ward would say.

By the way, Shallow and Bardolph were intimate friends of the deceased humourist, and Shallow imitated the famous American's style very successfully; so that occasionally we had

a strange admixture of Ward and Shakespeare. For example, in the Saltmarket, Shallow having unintentionally run upon a dram-drinker with the usual bare legs, said dram-drinker offered to fight the amateur actor. "No, my friend," said Shallow, "I am not a fightist, but I can apologise;" and he did, with mock professions of abject sorrow, which the dram-drinker neither seemed to understand nor appreciate. "Hoot, mon, ye're just daft I ken, its nae good hammering a feuil." "By the mass no, i' faith," said Shal66 you had better let me went.' And thus

low,

did he.

After the first course of our early dinner, there arrived a mysterious but imposing looking parcel, directed to "H. L. Bardolph, from an admirer who desires to give expression to her pleasure by a little present." Shallow crumbled his bread, and looked thoughtful. Mistress Quickly was silent and anxious.

Bardolph seized a knife, and began to open the parcel. Falstaff commanded that the banquet should proceed. Bardolph, after much exercise of his knife and his patience, came upon the little tin bucket, inscribed "Harry," to his intense disgust and the general merriment. "That's Shallow !" said Harry.

"What is?" was the response, “it is anything but shallow. On the contrary, it is a deep, roomy bucket."

"Thou honeysuckle villain," exclaims Bardolph, "thou Fustilarian, an I be not the death. of thee I'm a poulterer's hare or a stock fish."

"Go to," says Falstaff, "here be other fish, aye and ready fried. Now, by my lady, this is a merry feast most sweet impresario."

And so it was. I call to mind few merrier. Ere the fish was removed there came in three separate parcels of jewellery for Mistress Quickly, "Real jewels," said the lady, "aye, she was sure of it;" and she carried the joke

further, to Shallow's annoyance, by wearing the Brummagem trinkets with her Sunday things on the "Sabbath ye ken." The feast was concluded by the presentation of that little figure of Punch which came from the Saltmarket, and Mark Lemon vowed it was an excellent model, and one which he should treasure.

"You remember that horse mounted with a figure of Punch-it stands on my mantel-shelf in Bouverie Street?"

"Yes."

"That was one of the figures in a grand procession modelled and sent from Germany years ago, illustrating the imagniary installation of Mr. Punch as a doctor of philosophy. There is a diploma hanging by it in which Punch is officially and legally set forth as Doctor Punch."

"Yes," said Bardolph, "the Scotch gentleman who made that joke, very much admired the equestrian Punch. I shall never forget