WITH its architect, fell that surprising fabric of fraud and wrong, the rise and fall of which is commemorated in this history-a fabric which, if it "rose like an exhalation," so like an exhalation disappeared, and with it all the creatures which had peopled it. Though Mr Runnington's vigilance and ability had set matters into such a train, that, had Mr Gammon lived to continue his most skilful opposition, he could not have delayed for any length of time Mr Aubrey's restoration to Yatton, yet the sudden and most unexpected death of Mr Gammon greatly accelerated that event. Notwithstanding the verdict of the coroner's inquest, both Mr Aubrey and Mr Runnington-and in fact very many others strongly suspected the true state of the case; viz. that, in the desperation of defeat and dreaded exposure, he had destroyed himself.

Towards the close of the term, Mr Runnington went to the proper office of the Court of King's Bench, in order to ascertain whether Mr Titmouse had taken the requisite steps towards defending the actions of ejectment commenced by Mr Aubrey, and found that, though the prescribed period had elapsed, he had not; in other words, that he had suffered JUDGMENT BY DEFAULT. Delighted, though not much surprised by this discovery, Mr Runnington resolved at once to follow up his victory. 'Twas only a short and simple process that was requisite to effect such great results. He took a single sheet of draft paper, on which he wrote some half dozen lines called an "Incipitur," as if he were going to copy out the "declaration" in ejectment, but stopped short about the fifth line. This sheet of paper, together with another containing his "Rule for Judgment," he took to the Master's office, in order that that functionary might "SIGN JUDGMENT"

which he did, by simply writing in the margin of what Mr Runnington had written, the words"Judgment signed, 23d November 18—” and impressing above it the seal of the court; and behold, at that instant, the property in the whole of the Yatton estates had become vested in Mr Aubrey again!

The next step requisite was to secure the possession of the property; for which purpose Mr Runnington instantly procured a WRIT OF POSSESSION, (i. e. a writ requiring the sheriff of Yorkshire to put Mr Aubrey into actual possession,) to be engrossed on a slip of parchment. This he got sealed; and then obtained a WARRANT from the sheriff to his officers, to execute the writ. Now the sheriff might, had it been necessary, have roused-nay, was bound to do so-the whole posse comitatus, in order to compel submission to his authority; and I can assure the reader that the whole posse comi tatus would have answered his summons on that occasion very eagerlybut it was needless. Who was there to resist him at Yatton? The transference of the possession became, under these circumstances, a very slight matter-of-fact affair. The under sheriff of Yorkshire drove up in his gig to the Hall, where he found Mr Parkinson waiting his arrival-(no breaking open of doors was necessary!)-and in a whispered word or two, informed Mr Parkinson that he then delivered the possession to him for and on account of Charles Aubrey, esquire, his heirs, and assigns, for ever-and after remarking," what a fine estate it was, and in very good order, considering," he drove off. I may add, that to save the useless expense of some hundred writs of possession, "attornments" were taken from all the tenants-i. e. written acknowledgments that they held under

Charles Aubrey, esquire, as their sole, true, and proper landlord. This done, that gentleman was reinstated in all that he had been dispossessed of, as absolutely, and to all intents and purposes, as if the events of the last three years had been but a dream-as if such persons as Tittlebat Titmouse, and Quirk, Gammon, and Snap, had never existed; and Mr Griffiths the steward, and Mr Parkinson, opened a couple of bottles of port wine, which, with the efficient assistance of Mr Waters and Mr Dickons, the upper and under bailiffs, Mr Tonson the gamekeeper, and Mr Pumpkin the gardener, were very quickly emptied amidst in which 'tis hoped the good-natured reader will join-shouts of "Hip, hip, hip, hurrah!-Hip, hip, hip, hurrah! -Hip, hip, hip, hurrah! hurrah! HURRAH!" Then phlegmatic Mr Dickons stepped out into the courtyard, and, by way of further relieving his excited feelings, flung his heavy ashen walking-stick up a surprising height into the air; and when he had caught it on its descent, as he grasped it in his huge horny hand in silence, he shook it above his head with a feeling that he could have smashed a million of Titmice in a minute, if he could have got among them. Then he thought of Miss Aubrey and Kate, and up it went again, higher even than before-by which time they had all come out into the yard, and shouted again, and again, and again, till their voices rung, and echoed in the air, and excited an uproar in the rookery behind them.

While this result of his triumphant exertions was being thus celebrated at Yatton, Mr Runnington was exerting himself to the utmost in London, in the extrication of Mr Aubrey from all his pecuniary embarrassments-the chief of which were, his two promissory notes for £5000 each, with interest, and the actions depending upon them the joint bond of himself and Lord de la Zouch for £10,000 and interest-and the action pending for the balance of Messrs Quirk, Gammon, and Snap's bill-viz. £1446: 14: 6d. Undoubtedly, these matters occasioned him a vast deal of trouble and anxiety; but his experienced tact, and vigilance, and determination, overcame all obstacles. The balance of Messrs Quirk, Gammon, and Snap's abominable bill of costs, melted away

and totally disappeared in the heat of the taxing office; and with the aid of certain summary applications, both to the Lord Chancellor and to the common law judges, and after a good deal of diplomacy, Mr Runnington succeeded in getting into his hands, cancelled, the above-mentioned two notes, on payment to Mr Spitfire, for and on account of Mr Titmouse, of £250, (of which Mr Titmouse by the way got £15,) and the bond for ten thousand pounds, which was found in the strong box of the late Mr Gammon, was delivered up by Messrs Quirk and Snap on certain hints being given them by Mr Runnington of the serious consequences of refusal. Not satisfied with this, Mr Runnington obtained from Mr Titmouse a formal and solemn release to Mr Aubrey of all claims, debts, damages, and demands whatsoever, both at law and in equity. But how stood the matter of Mr Titmouse's liabilities to Mr Au brey, in respect of the mesne profits during the last two years and more? Why, he owed Mr Aubrey a sum of some twenty-five thousand poundsnot one farthing of which would ever see its way into the pockets of him who had been so cruelly defrauded of it! The greatest trouble of Mr Runnington, however, was the extorting the title-deeds from the three Jews, Mordecai Gripe, Israel Fang, and Mephibosheth Mahar- Shalal-hash-baz. Unhappy wretches! they writhed and gasped as though their very hearts were being torn out; but they had no help for it, as their own attorneys and solicitors told them; since the right of Mr Aubrey to his title-deeds was clear and indisputable, and their resistance of his claim would only entail on them additional and fruitless expense. They grinned, chattered, stuttered, and stamped about in impotent but horrible fury; and, if they could, would have torn Mr Gammon out of his grave, and placed his body, and those of Messrs Quirk and Snap, over a slow fire! These gentlemen were not, however, the only persons who had been astounded, dismayed, and defeated, by Mr Gammon's leap into the dark. To say nothing of Mr Wigley, who might now whistle for his debt and costs, and many other persons who had rested all their hopes upon Mr Gammon's powers, and his responsibility, his sudden death precipitated total ruin upon

died.

only by name and who communicated the dismal tidings in an agony of grief and agitation. The physician and apothecary were with the earl when Mr Aubrey arrived; and, finding that he could render no personal service to his suffering kinsman, he returned to town, assuring Miss Macspleuchan that she would see him again on the morrow-and that he would, in the meanwhile, do every thing in his power, in town, to avert from the earl the immediate effects of his fearful imprudence. Faithful to his promise, he instructed Mr Runnington to do every thing in reason to rescue the earl, and, in his person, the honour of the family, from the impending misfortune. 'Twas, how ever, all in vain. Two days afterwards, and before Mr Runnington had acted upon the instructions given to him by Mr Aubrey, the latter received intelligence by express from Poppleton, that the earl was in dying circumstances; that he was conscious of his rapidly approaching end; and was understood to have expressed a wish to see Mr Aubrey before he When he arrived, he was at once ushered into the earl's bedchamber, and found the Duke of Tantallan sitting on one side of the bed, and Miss Macspleuchan on the other; she was weeping in silence, and her left hand was grasped between the thin white hands of the earl, whose face was turned towards her. His snow-white hair and wasted features, and the expression of mingled misery, feebleness, and affection that were in his eyes, fixed heavily upon Miss Macspleuchan, filled Mr Aubrey with deep emotion. The earl seemed a mere skeleton! Shortly after Mr Aubrey had entered the room, Miss Macspleuchan leaned down to the earl's ear, and, in a whisper, informed him of Mr Aubrey's arrival. He did not seem at first to have heard, or at least comprehended, what she had said; but, a few moments afterwards, opened his eyes a little wider than they had been before, and his lips quivered as if with an effort at speaking. Then he very feebly extended both his thin arms towards Miss Macspleuchan, who was still leaning over him, and placed them trembling round her neck, from which, however, in a moment or two, they suddenly fell; the lower jaw also fell: the poor earl was dead-and Miss

Macspleuchan, with a faint shriek, sunk back in a swoon into the arms of the nurse who stood beside her, and who, assisted by a female attendant, immediately removed her from the room. The Duke of Tantallan remained sitting where he was, but with his face averted, and his right hand clasping one of the hands of his deceased kinsman: and Mr Aubrey continued standing at the foot of the bed, his eyes covered by his hand. Neither of them spoke for some time. At length the duke, very deeply affected, slowly rose, and quitted the chamber in silence, followed by Mr Aubrey, as those entered who were to commence the last sad offices for the dead.

The duke undertook all the arrangements for the funeral; and after much melancholy conversation with his grace concerning the shocking state in which the earl had left his affairs, and having offered to provide, should it be necessary, for Miss Macspleuchan, Mr Aubrey took his departure.

"Is the carriage at the door?" he enquired of the servant who stood in the hall expecting his approach.

"Yes, my lord," he replied; "and his words caused LORD DRELINCOURT almost to start back a step or two; and he changed colour. Then he entered his carriage, and continued in a very melancholy and subdued mood during the whole of the drive up to town. He had, indeed, now become Lord Drelincourt-an event thus announced the next morning to the great world, in the columns of the obsequious Aurora.

"Yesterday, at his residence, Pop"pleton Hall, Hertfordshire, in his "seventieth year, died the Right Hon. "the Earl of Dreddlington, G.C.B., "&c. &c. His lordship was Fifth "Earl of Dreddlington, and Twen"tieth BARON DRELINCOURT. The "Earldom (created in 1667) is now "extinct; but his lordship is suc"ceeded in the ancient barony of "Drelincourt (created by writ, 12th "Henry 11.) by CHARLES AUBREY, "Esq. of Yatton, in Yorkshire, who "is now 21st Lord Drelincourt, and "has just succeeded in recovering "back the whole of the Yatton pro

perty, which about two years ago, "it may be remembered, was reco"vered in a very extraordinary man

"ner (which is now, we believe, the "subject of judicial inquiry) by Tittle"bat Titmouse, Esq., at present "M.P. for Yatton. His lordship "(who is now in his thirty-sixth year) "took a double first-class at Oxford, "and sat for several years as mem"ber for Yatton. He married, in "18, Agnes, sole daughter and " heiress of the late Colonel St Clair, "who fell in the Peninsular war, and "has issue by her ladyship two chil"dren, Charles, born in 18-, and "Agnes, born in 18-. His lordship "has no brothers, and only one sister, "Miss Catherine Aubrey, who is un"derstood to be affianced to the Hon. "Mr Delamere, the only son and heir "of the Right Hon. Lord de la "Zouch. The late Earl was a staunch "Whig; but the present Lord Dre"lincourt is a Tory."

Till Yatton could be got ready for their reception, they had taken, as a temporary residence, a furnished house in Dover Street, only a few doors' distance from that of Lord de la Zouch; and on his arrival from Poppleton Hall, Lord Drelincourt found Lady Drelincourt and his sister had not yet returned from their afternoon's drive. When they drew up to the door, however, the closed shutters and drawn blinds apprized them of the melancholy event which had taken place. On hearing that Lord Drelin court was alone in the drawing-room, where he had been for upwards of an hour, they rushed hastily up stairs, and in a few moments Lord and Lady Drelincourt had fondly embraced each other, and Miss Aubrey, full of eager affection, had embraced both of them; and then, quitting the room, quickly returned with Charles and Agnes, now-little unconscious creatures!the Honourable Charles and the Hon ourable Agnes Aubrey. Surely it was not to be expected that any of them should entertain very poignant feelings of sorrow for the death of an individual who had ever totally estranged himself from them, and treated every member of their family with the most offensive and presumptuous insolence-the bitterest contempt; who, when he knew that they were destitute and all but perishing, had kept cruelly aloof as ever, without once extending towards them a helping hand. Still, they had regarded the afflicting circumstances which attended, and

hastened, their lofty kinsman's death, with sincere commiseration for one so weak and misguided, and whose pride had had, indeed, so signal and fearful a fall. These were topics which afforded scope for sad but instructive conversation and reflection; and before Lord and Lady Drelincourt laid their heads on their pillows that night, they again devoutly returned thanks to Heaven for the happy restoration which had been vouchsafed to them, and offered sincere and fervent prayers for its guidance in every stage of their future career.

This event, of course, threw them again, for a time, into mourning. Lord Drelincourt attended the fuueral of the late earl, which took place at Poppleton, and was plain and private; and a few days afterwards, yearning to see Yatton once again, and anxious also to give his personal directions concerning very many matters which required them, he accepted an offer of a seat in the carriage of Lord de la Zouch, who was going down for a few days to Fotheringham on business of importance. Lord Drelincourt agreed to take up his abode at Fotheringham during his brief stay in Yorkshire, and to give no one at Yatton the least intimation of his intention to pay a visit to them, -purposing, the morning after his arrival at Fotheringham, to ride over quietly, alone and unexpectedly, to the dear place of his birth, and scene of such signal trials and expected joy and triumphis.

'Twas about four o'clock in the afternoon of a frosty day in the early part of December; and Dr Tatham was sitting alone in his plainly-furnished and old-fashioned little study, beside the table on which Betty, his old housekeeper, had just laid his scanty show of tea-things-the small, quaintly-figured round silver tea-pot having been the precious gift, more than twenty years before, of old Madam Aubrey. On his knee lay open a well-worn parchment-covered Elzevir copy of Thomas à Kempis, a constant companion of the doctor's, which he had laid down a few moments before, in a fit of musing-and he was gazing in the direction of the old yew tree, a portion of which, with a grey crumbling corner of his church, at only some two dozen yards' distance, was visible through the window