_Lord Lum_. Why, to confess the truth, my dear Mac, those old sinners, Lord Freakish, General Jolly, Sir Antony Soaker, and two or three more of that set, laid hold of me last night at the opera,--and, as the General says, 'from the intelligence of my head this morning,' I believe we drank pretty deep ere we departed; ha, ha, ha! _Sir Per_. Ha, ha, ha! nay, if you were with that party, my lord, I do not wonder at not seeing your lordship at the levee, _Lord Lum_. The truth is, Sir Pertinax, my fellow let me sleep too long for the levee.--But I wish I had seen you before you left town--I wanted you dreadfully. _Sir Per_. I am heartily sorry that I was not in the way:--but on what account did you want me? _Lord Lum_. Ha, ha, ha! a cursed awkward affair.--And, ha, ha, ha! yet I cann't help laughing at it neither--tho' it vext me confoundedly. _Sir Per_. Vext you, my lord! Zounds, I wish I had been with you:--but, for heaven's sake, my lord,--what was it, that could possibly vex your lordship? _Lord Lum_. Why, that impudent, teasing, dunning rascal, Mahogany, my upholsterer.--You know the fellow? _Sir Per_. Perfectly, my lord. _Lord Lum_. The impudent scoundrel has sued me up to some damned kind of a--something or other in the law, that I think they call an execution. _Sir Per_. The rascal! _Lord Lum_. Upon which, sir, the fellow, by way of asking pardon--ha, ha, ha! had the modesty to wait on me two or three days ago, to inform my honour--ha, ha, ha! as he was pleased to dignify me,--that the execution was now ready to be put in force against my honour;--but that out of respect to my honour--as he had taken a great deal of my honour's money-- he would not suffer his lawyer to serve it, till he had first informed my honour, because he was not willing to affront my honour; ha, ha, ha! a son of a whore! _SirPer_. I never heard of so impudent a dog. _Lord Lum_. Now, my dear Mac,--ha, ha, ha! as the scoundrel's apology was so very satisfactory, and his information so very agreeable--I told him that, in honour, I thought that my honour cou'd not do less than to order his honour to be paid immediately. _Sir Per_. Vary weel--vary weel,--you were as complaisant as the scoundrel till the full, I think, my lord. _Lord Lum_. You shall hear,--you shall hear, Mac:--so, sir, with great composure, seeing a smart oaken cudgel that stood very handily in a corner of my dressing room, I ordered two of my fellows to hold the rascal, and another to take the cudgel and return the scoundrel's civility with a good drubbing as long as the stick lasted. _Sir Per_. Ha, ha, ha!--admirable!--as guid a stroke of humour as ever I heard of.--And did they drub him, my lord?