108 THE BUBBLE BURST.

made half a breakfast, rose from his chair and went
out. The two apprentices were about doing the same
thing, when Mr. Goodman begged that they might
stay. He seemed very much excited; he came, he
said, to complain of the vile, obscene pasquinade,
which had been acted the night before, and in which
he heard with sorrow and the deepest astonishment
that a character intended to ridicule himself had been
performed by this young man, said he, pointing to
Williams, and with this he drew from his pocket a
play-bill, and pointed out, “ Parson Perfect—a young
amateur actor from London.”

** You are under a mistake, my dear sir,” said good
Mr. Osborne, really glad to be able to defend hisnephew.

“I think I may go,” said Reynolds, anxious not to
witness the trouble which he feared hung over his
friend.

“ You may not go,” said the clergyman sternly.
“ [have promised your excellent aunts to question
you. I thought well of you, Reynolds,” said he
mournfully—*“ it has cut me to the heart to be
deceived in you !”

** And what have I done 2” asked he.

“ This impatience is unbecoming,” said the clergy-
man, “yery unbecoming! Can you deny that you
walked up and down the town, arm-in-arm, with that
young girl, Barnerman, on Christmas-day-night ?”

As Reynolds was about to reply, Miss Kendrick
walked ia, and scarcely. was she seated when in
rushed Mrs. Proctor, regardless of times and seasons,
She came with a budget of news; but nobody could
listen to her, and she went out again with something
more interesting than all the rest to spread abroad,
and that was of the awful conclave that was sitting
- in Mr. Osborne’s parlour,