In my stupid way, I had been overdoing it again; for, on making inquiries, I found that Mr. Edward, disgusted at being left alone in that great big house, without even a wife or a servant to wait upon him, and, moreover, having received a letter from Mrs. Y--pp, his mother-in-law No. 2, saying that she purposed, at Christmas, coming to spend another month with her “dear boy, at his beautiful villa,” had rushed off and taken up his residence in a common boarding house in G--ldf--rd St--t, R--ss--ll Sq--re, n--r the F--ndl--ng H--sp--t--l, where I am at present staying, and where I intend to stay so long as Mr. Edward does, for if I leave him again, “FOR EVER,” my name’s not C--R--L--NE SK--N--ST--N, Late of Duvernay Villa, P--rk V--ll--ge, R--g--nt’s P--rk. P.S. I stop the press to announce that Mr. Sk--n--st--n has just got hold of an early copy of this book, and oh! Lord-a-mercy me! I’m a ruined woman! LIST OF PLATES. THE GREATEST PLAGUE OF ONE’S LIFE _Frontispiece_. “ARE YOU NOT IRISH?” page 47 “THE CAT DID IT!” 60 FOLLOWERS 91 “IT’S MY COUSIN, MA’AM!” 95 GOING OUT FOR A HOLIDAY 125 THE MORNING GOSSIP 182 THE SENTIMENTAL NOVEL READER 214 OUT FOR AN AIRING 238 “OH, AH! LET ’EM RING AGAIN!” 263 “DO YOU KNOW AS YOUR STREET DOOR IS OPEN?” 278 “OH! HERE’S MISSUS!” 281 T. C. Savill, Printer, 4, Chandos-street, Covent-garden. FOOTNOTES: [A] I give the name of this deceitful creature in full, as it cannot possibly hurt the feelings of any of my friends. [B] See “The Castle Fiend,” nearly at the bottom of page 3. [C] See the same powerfully-written penny romance, same page. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The greatest plague of life, or, by Augustus Mayhew and Henry Mayhew