seizing hold of Lightfoot by the collar, and waking him,
said, "John Amory, I arrest you in the Queen's name.
Stand by me, Lightfoot. This capture is worth a thousand
pounds."

He put forward his hand as if to seize his prisoner, but the
other, doubling his fist, gave Morgan with his left hand so
fierce a blow on the chest, that it knocked him back behind
Mr. Lightfoot. That gentleman, who was athletic and coura-
geous, said he would knock his guest's head off, and prepared
to do so, as the stranger, tearing ofi" his coat, and cursing
both of his opponents , roared to them to come on.



438



But with a piercing scream Mrs. Lightfoot flung herself
before her husband, whilst with another and louder shriek
Madame Fribsby ran to the stranger, and calling out "Arm-
strong, Johnny Armstrong!" seized hold of his naked
arm, on which a blue tattooing of a heart and M. F. were
visible.

The ejaculation of Madame Fribsby seemed to astound
and sober the stranger. He looked down upon her , and cried
out, "It's Polly by Jove."

Mrs. Fribsby continued to exclaim, "This is not Amory.
This is Johnny Armstrong, my wicked — wicked husband,
married to me in St. Martin's Church, mate on board an
Indiaman, and he left me two months after, the wicked wretch.
This is John Armstrong — here 's the mark on his arm which
he made forme."

The stranger said, " I am John Armstrong , sure enough,
Polly. I 'ra John Armstrong, Amory, Altamont, — and
let 'em all come on, and try what they can do against a British
sailor. Hurray, who 's for It ! "

Morgan still called out, "Arrest him! " But Mrs. Light-
foot said, "Arrest him! arrest you, you mean spy! What!
stop the marriage and ruin my lady, and take away the Cla-
vering Arms from us? "

"^Did he say he 'd take away the Clavering Arms from us? "
asked Mr. Lightfoot, turning round, "Hang him, I '11 throttle
him."

"Keep him, darling, till the coach passes to the up train.
It'll be here now directly. D — him, I'll choke him if he
stirs," said Lightfoot. And so they kept Morgan until the
coach came , and Mr. Amory or Armstrong went away back to
London.

Morgan had followed him : but of this event Arthur Pen-
dennis did not inform Lady Clavering, and left her invoking



439



blessings upon him at her son's door , going to kiss him as he
was asleep. It had been a busy day.

We have to chronicle the events of but one day more , and
that was a day when Mr. Arthur, attired in a new hat, anew
blue frock-coat and blue handkerchief, in a new fancy waist-
coat, new boots, and new shirt-studs (presented by the Right
Honourable the Countess Dowager of Rockminster), made his
appearance at a solitary breakfast-table, in Clavering Park,
where he could scarce eat a single morsel of food. Two let-
ters were laid by his worship's plate; and he chose to open the
first, which was in a round clerk-like hand, in preference to
the second more familiar superscription.

Note 1 ran as follows : —



"Garbakzos wine Company. Sbrfherd's Inn. — Monday.

"My dear Pendennis — In congratulating you heartily
upon the event which is to make you happy for life , I send my
very kindest remembrances to Mrs. Pendennis, whom I hope
to know even longer than I have already known her. And
when I call her attention to the fact, that one of the most ne-
cessary articles to her husband's comfort is pure sherry, I
know I shall have her for a customer for your worship's sake.

"But I have to speak to you of other than my own concerns.
Yesterday afternoon, a certain J. A. arrived at my chambers
from Clavering, which he had left under circumstances of
which you are doubtless now aware. In spite of our difference,
I could not but give him food and shelter (and he partook
freely both of the Garbanzo Amontillado and the Toboso
ham), and he told me what had happened to him, and many
other surprising adventures. The rascal married at sixteen,
and has repeatedly since performed that ceremony — in
Sidney, in New Zealand, in South America, in Newcastle,



440



he says, first, before he knew our poor friend the milliner.
He is a perfect Don Juan.

"And it seemed as if the commendatore had at last over-
taken him, for, as we were at our meal, there came three
heavy knocks at my outer door, which made our friend start.
I have sustained a siege or two here , and went to my usual
place to reconnoitre. Thank my stars I have not a bill out in
the world , and besides , those gentry do not come in that way.
I found that it was your uncle's late valet, Morgan , and a po-
liceman (I think a sham policeman) , and they said they had
a warrant to take the person of John Armstrong, alias Amory,
alias Altamont, a run-away convict, and threatened to break
in the oak.

"Now, Sir, in my own days of captivity I had discovered
a little passage along the gutter into Bows and Costigan's
window, and I sent Jack Alias along this covered way, not
without terror of his life, for it had grown very cranky ; and
then, after a parley, let in Mons. Morgan and friend.

"The rascal had been instructed about that covered way,
for he made for the room instantly, telling the policeman to
go down stairs and keep the gate ; and he charged up my little
staircase as if he had known the premises. As he was going
out of the window we heard a voice that you know, from
Bows's garret, saying, 'Who are ye, and hwhat the divvle
are ye at? You 'd betther leave thegutther; bedad there 's a
man killed himself already.'

"And as Morgan, crossing over and looking into the
darkness , was trying to see whether this awful news was true,
he took a broom-stick, and with a vigorous dash broke down
the pipe of communication — and told me this morning , with
great glee , that he was reminded of that aisy sthratagem by
remembering his dorling Emilie, when she acted the pawrt
of Cora in the Plee — and by the bridge in Pezawro , bedad.'



441



I wish that scoundrel Morgan had been on the bridge when
the general tried his ' sthratagem.'

*'If I hear more of Jack Alias I will tell you. He has got
plenty of money still, and I wanted him to send some to our
poor friend the milliner; but the scoundrel laughed and said,
he had got no more than he wanted, but offered to send any-
body a lock of his hair. Farewell — be happy! and believe
me always truly yours ,

"E. Strong."

"And now for the other letter," said Pen. "Dear old
fellow ! " and he kissed the seal before he broke it.

" Warrin gton , Tuesday.

"I MUST not let the day pass over without saying a
God bless you , to both of you. May Heaven make you happy,
dear Arthur, and dear Laura. I think, Pen, that you have
the best wife in the world; and pray that, as such, you will
cherish her and tend her. The chambers will be lonely without
you, dear Pen; but if I am tired, I shall have a new home to
go to in the house of my brother and sister. I am practising
in the nursery here, in order to prepare for the part of uncle
George. Farewell! make your wedding tour, and come back
to your affectionate

"G.W."

Pendennis and his wife read this letter together after
Doctor Portman's breakfast was over, and the guests were
gone ; and when the carriage was waiting amidst the crowd at
the Doctor's outer gate. But the wicket led into the church-
yard of St. Mary's, where the bells were pealing with all their
might, and it was here, over Helen's green grass , that Arthur
showed his wife George's letter. For which of those two —



442



for grief was it or for happiness , that Laura's tears abundantly
fell on the paper? And once more, in the presence of the
sacred dust, she kissed and blessed her Arthur.

There was only one marriage on that day at Clavering
Church; for in spite of Blanche's sacrifices for her dearest
mother, honest Harry Foker could not pardon the woman
who had deceived her husband, and justly argued that she
would deceive him again. He went to the Pyramids and Syria,
and there left his malady behind him, and returned with a fine
beard, and a supply of tarbooshes and Nargillies, with which
he regales all his friends. He lives splendidly, and through
Pen's mediation, gets his wine from the celebrated vintages
of the Duke of Garbanzos.

As for poor Cos, his fate has been mentioned in an early
part of this story. No very glorious end could be expected to
such a career. Morgan is one of the most respectable men in
the parish of St. James's, and in the present political move-
ment has pronounced himself like a man and a Briton. And
Bows, — on the demise of Mr. Piper, who played the organ at
Clavering, little Mrs. Sam Huxter, who has the entire command
of Doctor Portman, brought Bows down from London to con-
test the organ chair loft , and her candidate carried the chair.
When Sir Francis Clavering quitted this worthless life, the
same little indefatigable canvasser took the borough by storm,
and it is now represented by Arthur Pendennis, Esq. Blanche
Amory, it is well known, married at Paris , and the saloons of
Madame la Comtesse de la Blague de Montmorenci de Valen-
tinois were amongst the most suivis of that capital. The duel
between the Count and the young and fiery Representative of
the Mountain, Alcide deMirobo, arose solely from the latter
questioning at the Club the titles borne by the former noble-
man. Madame de la B. de Montmorenci de Valentinois tra-



uz



veiled after the adventure : and Bungay bought her poems,
and published them, with the Countess's coronet emblazoned
on the Countess's work.

Major Pendennis became very serious in his last days, and
was never so happy as when Laura was reading to him with her
sweet voice, or listening to his stories. For this sweet lady is
the friend of the Voung and the old : and her life is always
passed in making other lives happy,

*• And what sort of a husband would this Pendennis be?"
many a reader will ask, doubting the happiness of such a
marriage and the fortune of Laura. The querist, if they meet
her, are referred to that lady herself, who, seeing his faults
and wayward moods — seeing and owning that there are men
better than he — loves him always with the most constant
aifection. His children or their mother have never heard a
harsh word from him; and when his fits of moodiness and
solitude are over, welcome him back with a never -failing
regard and confidence. His friend is his friend still, — entirely
heart-whole. That malady is never fatal to a sound organ.
And George goes through his part of godpapa perfectly, and
lives alone. If Mr. Pen's works have procured him more
reputation than has been acquired by his abler friend , whom
no one knows , George lives contented without the fame. If
the best men do not draw the great prizes in life, we know it
has been so settled by the Ordainer of the lottery. We own,
and see daily, how the false and worthless live and prosper,
while the good are called away, and the dear and young perish
untimely, — we perceive in every man's life the maimed happi-
ness, the frequent falling, the bootless endeavour, the struggle
of right and wrong, in which the strong often succumb and the
swift fail: we see flowers of good blooming in foul places, as,
in the most lofty and splendid fortunes, flaws of vice and



444



meanness, and stains of evil; and, knowing how mean the best
of us is, let us give a hand of charity to Arthur Pendennis, with
all his faults and shortcomings, who does not claim to be a
hero, but only a man and a brother.



)P



THE END.



PRIMED BY BERNHAHD TAUCHMTZ.



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