"To sever, sir," returned Sir Joseph, with great asperity, "the cord of existence--my affairs would be found, I hope, in a state of preparation." "My dear Sir Joseph!" said the lady, who was greatly younger than the gentleman. "How shocking!" "My Lady Bowley," returned Sir Joseph, floundering now and then, as in the great depth of his observations, "at this season of the year we should think of--of--ourselves. We should look into our--our accounts. We should feel that every return of so eventful a period in human transactions involves matter of deep moment between a man and his--and his banker." Sir Joseph delivered these words as if he felt the full morality of what he was saying, and desired that even Trotty should have an opportunity of being improved by such discourse. Possibly he had this end before him in still forbearing to break the seal of the letter, and in telling Trotty to wait where he was a minute. "I _am_ the Poor Man's Friend," observed Sir Joseph, glancing at the poor man present. "As such I may be taunted. As such I have been taunted. But I ask no other title." "Bless him for a noble gentleman!" thought Trotty. "I don't agree with Cute here, for instance," said Sir Joseph, holding out the letter. "I don't agree with the Filer party. I don't agree with any party. My friend, the Poor Man, has no business with any thing of that sort, and nothing of that sort has any business with him. My friend, the Poor Man, in my district, is my business. No man or body of men has any right to interfere between my friend and me. That is the ground I take. I assume a--a paternal character toward my friend. I say, 'My good fellow, I will treat you paternally.'" With that great sentiment, he opened the Alderman's letter, and read it. "Very polite and attentive, I am sure!" exclaimed Sir Joseph. "My lady, the Alderman is so obliging as to remind me that he has had 'the distinguished honor'--he is very good--of meeting me at the house of our mutual friend Deedles, the banker, and he does me the favor to inquire whether it will be agreeable to me to have Will Fern put down. He came up to London, it seems, to look for employment (trying to better himself--that's his story), and being found at night asleep in a shed, was taken into custody, and carried next morning before the Alderman. The Alderman observes (very properly) that he is determined to put this sort of thing down, and that if it will be agreeable to me to have Will Fern put down, he will be happy to begin with him." "Let him be made an example of, by all means," returned the lady. "Last winter, when I introduced pinking and eyelet-holing among the men and boys in the village as a nice evening employment, and had the lines, Oh let us love our occupations, Bless the squire and his relations, Live upon our daily rations, And always know our proper stations,