Prosperity, honour, and ambition have hitherto been my portion; but now, dreary wretchedness fills the "aching void" of a grievously lacerated heart. I have drunk deeply of the cup of adversity; I have drained it to the very dregs! I have acquired sad knowledge of the human heart; and fallen a victim to its dark depravity! Instead of smiles and caresses from the rich and great, their friendship and their hospitality, the writer-whose work, kind reader, you are condescending to peruse, and for which (perhaps presumptuously) he implores your suffrages-is doomed to languish in confinement, idleness, and poverty, associated with ignorance, vice, and vulgarity of the lowest class. A few bright rays of "hope" dart upon him as he ventures to anticipate your kindness, which alone can draw him from his seclusion, and prompt him at no distant period, perhaps, to obtrude again upon your notice. Your smiles will cheer, but your frowns will blast him!

Farewell! kind reader; accept the author's thanks for thy patience and forbearance, which have enabled thee to accompany him thus far. May all thy days be peace, thy nights serene, and thy conscience clear; and mayest thou never acquire other knowledge of the hermit's retreat at Barrett's Hotel than that with which these pages furnish thee!

MY FIRST DUEL.

"THIS is an awkward affair, Frank.”

Why, yes," said Frank, "it is an awkward affair.”

"But I suppose I must go through with it," I continued.

"No doubt," rejoined my friend; "and you may rest assured, that although the anticipation is not very agreeable, you'll find the thing a mere bagatelle when on the ground."

"You'll take care to have everything ready, and to call me betimes; will you, Frank ?"

"Certainly, my dear Ephraim, rely upon me; and now, as it is already twelve, and we have to go out at six, perhaps I had better wish you good night, that you may rest and have a steady hand in the morning. Before I go, however, there is one thing I wish to mention to you." "And what is that?" said I.

"Why," replied Frank, hesitatingly, "it is hardly worth troubling you about; but the fact is, there is a custom-that is, people have on these occasions a sort of habit of making their-their

"Their exit I presume you mean?"

"Not so, my dear fellow; nothing was farther from my thoughts, as I hope (with God's will) nothing is farther from fact than the probability of such a catastrophe to the present

"Farce; but come, Frank, what is this that you would require of me, or enjoin me to ?"

"Briefly, then, Ephraim, might it not be as well now as at any other time, just for form's sake, to scratch down a memorandum of your wishes respecting the disposal of your property?"

“Oh Lord!” said I, "is that the mouse your mountain laboured with? My property! God forgive you, Frank! Well, as Tom Moore

says

'I give thee all; I can no more.'

I will bequeath you my debts, with a proviso that you don't pay interest; but seriously, I'll think of what you say; and now, good night; and for Heaven's sake be punctual in the morning!"

"Never fear that. Good night," said Frank; "and do you hear, Ephraim? You may take a pint of Madeira, if you have an inclination to it, to-night; but not a drop of port, sherry, or brandy. I must have you placed with a cool head, clear eye, and a steady fist."

Very well," said I," I promise you to be observant of your orders;" and after once more exchanging greetings, the door closed, and I was left to myself.

"Well," said I, when I found myself alone, "this is a delightful sort of dilemma to be placed in. If I loved the girl, there would be some satisfaction in standing up to be shot at for her; but to be blazed away at for a wench that I don't care a curse for-to be compelled to fight for mere flirtation-is certainly, at the least, very disagreeable. However, I suppose I must let the fellow have a brush at me, and so there is no more to be said on that head. By-the-by, Frank hinted (with prophetic foresight, I presume) at the necessity of my disposing in writing of my moveables. Allons donc, let me see. First, there is my linen and my clothes; let poor Betty have them, to recompense her in part for the colds she has caught in letting me in many a morning; the chances are, she'll catch no more on that errand. My coins and medals may be given to C. Then there are my books, and chief of them all, sinner as I am, my Bible, if I dare name it with the purpose of blood. upon my mind. I charge you, Frank, deliver it yourself to my dear and widowed mother; tell her I revered its precepts, although I lacked the strength of mind that should have made me hold them fast and follow them; and, above all, never, never crush her bowed, and bruised, and lowly spirit with the truth of all the weakness, the folly, the impiety, that will mingle in my end! Tell her I fell by sword, plague, pestilence, or famine; but tell her not I fell at a task my common sense--my heart-my soul, which owns its divine origin-revolts from!-tell her not I fell as a duellist-Down, down my heart! the world must be worshipped. My other books may be divided between and and

except my series of Ana, my Hogarth, and Viel's and Bachaumont's and La Chapelle's and Langle's Journies, and my Bigarrures; reserve them, with my Meerschaum, to yourself, and over them remember the happy hours that you have spent before with them and him who thanks you now for all your warm-hearted kindnesses. In the drawer of my desk will be found a portrait and some letters; I need not say whose they are, but I entreat you, my dear Frank, I conjure you, to take them into your own hands-to let no other look upon them, and to deliver them to her! Gloss the circumstances of my death, and let the tidings fall gently on her; but tell her, amid all my sins and all my follies, I remembered her, and loved her, and her only, and more earnestly in the last moments of my life than when I held her on my bosom, Tell her—” 2 L

Aug.-VOL. XLI. NO. CLXIV,

I had written thus far when I was interrupted by a tapping at my door, and when I opened it Frank was there.

"Is it time then already?" said I.

"Yes," said he. "I am glad to see you ready. moments to lose."

Come, we have few

"but I am

"The hours have flown with strange rapidity," I said; prepared. You spoke to me last night of a will; doubtless it was a necessary precaution, and I thank you for the hint. I have attended to it, and have noted down my wishes; here is a memorandum of them, and I confide the execution of them to you; I know you will not refuse the task."

"God forbid," said Frank, taking my hand," that I should; but God forbid there should be occasion for my offices."

"I also hope, my dear friend," I replied, "that there may be no such necessity; but I have a presentiment (and my presentiments have seldom boded me falsely) that this morning's work will be my last."

"Don't say that, Ephraim," said Frank; "if I thought that-but, good God! how can I get you out of it?” "Out of it!" I exclaimed; you mistake me. I cannot prevent my conviction; but if I saw my grave dug at my feet, I would not retrace the steps I have taken. Come, come, I am ready; and, taking him by the arm, I drew him from the room, and we quitted the house silently, and in a few minutes were on the ground.

On arriving there, I found that my adversary (whom I had never seen before) was beforehand with us; he was a tall, raw, gaunt, muscular fellow, with an enormous pair of mustachios, and having altogether very much the appearance of one of Napoleon's old sabreurs. We saluted

each other coldly, and then turned away, while the seconds retired to settle the preliminaries; their conference lasted some time, and appeared to bear grievously upon my adversary's patience, for he seemed eager to despatch me.

At last he addressed them. "Gentlemen," he said, "I beg pardon, but I think we may arrange in a breath all that is to be arranged. First, then," he said, speaking to Frank, "do you choose fifteen or twenty paces ?"

tr

Frank unhesitatingly named the latter, out of regard to my safety. Bon," said the fellow, as he made a scratch in the turf with his heel, and prepared to take the distance.

I confess I was rejoiced at the thought of his measuring it, for I thought I perceived an omen of salvation in the length of his legs; in this, however, I was disappointed, for the vagabond stepped the ground as mincingly as a lady in pattens.

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And now," when he had finished that part of the business," and now," said he, with a coolness that matched that of the morning, and bespoke him terribly au fait to the business, "whose weapons

are we to use? Your's? They are only a common holster pair; mine are rifle-barrelled and hair-triggered, and in every way superior to those machines; what say you to using mine? they'll make shorter work of the business."

"O, by all means; what is good for the goose is good for the gander," I answered, with an attempt at a smile; Frank therefore

assented.

"Bon," said the fellow again; "and now, for the first fire; has any body a piece of money about them? Oh, here, I have one;" and he handed it to his second, who flung it up, and the result was in his favour.

Frank then came up to me, and, seizing my hand with passionate interest, said to me, in a tone of agitation, "Ephraim, my dear boy, be of good cheer; that hulking blackguard is evidently trying to bully you, but be of good cheer; let me place you; you are but a lath, give him your side; you know it is disputed whether on these occasions it is most prudent to give the front or the side, but let me govern you here; you are but a lath, give him your side, and the devil himself can't hit you. God bless you, and keep you!" And so saying, and again pressing my hand, he withdrew. Immediately after which we placed ourselves, and the next instant the signal was given. As soon as I heard it, I looked straight at my adversary, and saw him raise his pistol and steady it; I saw him eye me with the keenness of a hawk and the precision of a master; it was but the fair half-second, but I knew and was certain he had covered me. The next instant I felt a blow, as it were, on the outside of my right elbow, and a something like ice stealing along the arm as it dropped nerveless and with the weight of lead by my side, and I heard the report of his weapon. I was winged clean as a whistle.

Frank perceived how it was with me, and was by my side in a twinkling, bandaging my arm with the handkerchief he tore from his neck. "Are you faint, Ephraim ?"

"Not at all," I said; "but make haste, I long for my revenge."

"Is the gentleman hurt?" inquired my adversary, with a half-stifled sardonic grin.

"Not a whit," said I; and he bowed.

"Can you give him his charge?' inquired Frank.

"O never fear," I answered; "let me have the pistol." He handed it to me; I grasped it, but I essayed in vain to raise it; my right arm was more disabled than I had thought.

I did so, but found the pistol far heavier than I had conceived, and much heavier than I knew my own to be; it was impossible to level it with my left. I looked at my adversary and saw his features relax into a damnable Mephistopholic grin. I maddened with unspeakable rage. "Hell and the devil!" I exclaimed, "is there no having a slap at the long-legged rascal ?"

"I fear not," said Frank; "but," he added, with affectionate warmth, "stand back, and I'll fight his second for you.'

"That's out of the question," I replied; let me try my left again." I did so, and felt convinced the pistol was more than usually heavy. Į held it by the barrel, and then I felt assured the butt was plugged heavily with lead. The thought of treachery immediately came across me. The first fire won at his own call on the toss of a florin from his own purse probably, and a piece contrived for these occasions, with the same impression on both sides. My right arm shattered certainly by aim,

and his pistol of a weight that prevented all possibility of its being levelled with the left hand; all concurred to assure me I was the victim of a scoundrel.

"But it shall not go thus," I said, as I thrust Frank on one side, and advanced towards the villain with the cool purpose of blowing his brains out; "it shall not go thus!" And as I neared him, I poised the butt of the pistol with my left hand against my chest, and put my finger on the trigger to draw in his face. Fortunately, Frank, who was ignorant of my suspicions, closed on me at the very critical instant, and wrenched the weapon from my grasp, exclaiming, at the same time, "Would you commit murder?"

"With pleasure," I answered, "upon such a murderous villain as this!" But he was now secure from my fire, and seeing himself so, and safe in his superior physical strength, he sneered at me with such mean demoniacal insult, that unable to withhold myself any longer, I rushed on him and grappled with him; but I was weak from pain and loss of blood, and I fainted.

Suddenly I was aroused by some one shaking me violently. I looked up; it was Frank. 'Up, up, man,” he cried.

66

66

Up," I said, "for what?"

"For what," he replied, "to save my character and your own, if you have any care about either. Why, it wants but a quarter to six, and at six we must be on the ground."

What, have not I been shot then ?” I said.

"Shot!" he exclaimed, "who the devil has been here to shoot you? Why you have been dreaming."

It was true; I had drawn my table to my bed-side to make my will, and had fallen back asleep, and dreamed what I have related.

"Then I suppose I must be shot again ?"

"There's little fear of that, thank Heaven," said Frank, "for I have just learnt that your adversary, in alarm at your prowess, has bolted." "Indeed," said I, as coolly as I could; but inwardly thanking God heartily for my deliverance from jeopardy.

"Yes," continued Frank, 66 so it is; but come, we must take our ground, and give the vagabond an hour's law."

"With all my heart," said I; and in five minutes I was dressed and on my way to the spot, with a lighted cheroot in my mouth, and truth to say, entre nous, a lighter heart under my waistcoat than I think I should else have carried to the field.

On the ground we found Captain M., the fellow's second, who informed us he understood his principal had taken flight, and vowed summary vengeance on him when and wherever he should meet him, for the insult he had offered him by his pusillanimous conduct. To be brief, we waited one hour, and my antagonist did not appear. Frank thus addressed himself to his second :--

"Captain M.," he said, "you will do my friend the justice to say he has behaved as becomes a brave and an honourable man?"

"Most certainly," said the Captain; and we quitted the ground, and I proceeded to post the recreant; after which the Captain, Frank, and I together took steaks and claret for breakfast. And thus ended "the first duel" of a half-bearded boy.

EPHRAIM TWIGG,