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friends with you. Come, Jacob, you have my promise to do my best."

“Yes, Mary, and I believe you, so there's my hand."

"You don't know how miserable I have been, Jacob, since we quarrelled," said Mary, wiping the tears away, which again commenced flowing; "and yet I don't know why, for I'm sure I have almost hated you this last week-that I have; but the fact is, I like quarrelling very well for the pleasure of making it up again; but not for the quarrel to last so long as this has done."

"It has annoyed me too, Mary, for I like you very much in general."

66

Well, then, now it's all over; but, Jacob,

are you sure you are friends with me?"

"Yes, Mary."

Mary looked archly at me.

"You know the

old saw, and I feel the truth of it."

I

"What, kiss and make friends?" replied

; "with all my heart," and I kissed her,

without any resistance on her part.

66

No, I didn't mean that, Jacob."

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"Well, then, what was the other ?"

"Never mind, I forget it now," said she,

laughing, and rising from the chair.

"Now I

must go to my work again, and you must tell me what you've been doing this last fortnight."

Mary and I entered into a long and amicable conversation, till her father came home, when we retired to bed. "I think," said old Stapleton, the next morning, "that I've had work enough; and I've belonged to two benefit clubs for so long as to 'title me to an allowance. I think, Jacob, I shall give up the wherry to you, and you shall in future give me one-third of

your earnings, and keep the rest to yourself. I don't see why you're to work hard all day for nothing." I remonstrated against this excess of liberality; but old Stapleton was positive, and the arrangement was made. I afterwards discovered, what may probably occur to the reader, that Captain Turnbull was at the bottom of all this. He had pensioned old Stapleton, that I might become independent by my own exertions before I had served my apprenticeship; and after breakfast, old Stapleton walked down with me to the beach, and we launched the boat. "Recollect, Jacob," said he, "one-third, and honour bright;" so saying, he adjourned to his old quarters, the public-house, to smoke his pipe, and think of human natur. I do not recollect any day of my life on which I felt more happy than on this: I was working for myself, and independent. I jumped into my wherry, and without waiting for a fare, I pushed off, and

gaining the stream, cleaved through the water with delight as my reward; but after a quarter of an hour I sobered down with the recollection that although I might pull about for nothing, for my own amusement, that as Stapleton was entitled to one-third, I had no right to neglect his interest; and I shot my wherry into the row, and stood with my hand and fore-finger raised, watching the eye of every one who came towards the hard. I was fortunate that day, and when I returned, was proceeding to give Stapleton his share, when he stopped me. "Jacob, it's no use dividing now; once a week will be better. I likes things to come in a lump; 'cause d'ye see-it's-it's-human natur."

CHAPTER X.

A good fare-Eat your pudding and hold your tongue -The Domine crossed in love-The crosser also crossed-I find that "all the world's a stage," not excepting the stern-sheets of my wherry-Cleopatra's barge apostrophized on the river Thames.

I CONSIDER that the present was the period from which I might date my first launching into human life. I was now nearly eighteen years old, strong, active, and well made, full of spirits, and overjoyed at the independence which I had so much sighed for. Since the period of my dismissal from Mr. Drummond's, my character had much altered. I had become grave and

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