was considered quite a catch at card-parties, and when she did ask people to tea she always did the thing in better style than anybody else.  The consequence was she was not only visited by most people, but in time became rather a person of consideration.  As she never mentioned her husband, it was supposed that she was a widow, and, in consequence of her well-regulated establishment, she received much attention from several Irish and foreign bachelors.  In short, my mother obtained almost the pinnacle of her ambition when she was once fairly settled at Cheltenham.  I ought to observe that when she arrived there she had taken the precaution of prefixing a name to her own to which by baptismal rite she certainly was not entitled, and called herself Mrs. Montague Saunders.

Shortly after Mrs. St. Felix had given notice to the doctor that she should not return, and that her shop and the goodwill thereof were for sale, I received a letter from my friend Tom Cobb, the doctor’s assistant, telling me that as he perceived he had now no chance of Mrs. St. Felix, he had some idea of taking her shop, and setting up as a tobacconist; his reasons were that physic was a bore, and going out of nights when called up a still greater.  I wrote to Lady O’Connor inclosing Mr. Tom’s letter, and pointed out to her that I thought it would be a public benefit to prevent Tom from killing so many people, as he certainly would do if he continued in his present profession, and eventually set up for himself.  She replied that she agreed with me, but at the same time that she was anxious to benefit fat Jane, who really was a very good girl; and that, therefore, she empowered me to enter into a treaty with Mr. Thomas, by which, provided he could obtain the lady’s consent, he was to wed her, and receive the stock in trade, its contents and fixtures, and goodwill, etc., as her portion.

As this was an offer which required some consideration before it was refused, I wrote to Tom pointing out to him the advantages of settling down with a good business, with a wife to assist him, and a cat and dog all ready installed, upon such advantageous conditions.  Tom agreed with me, won the love of fat Jane, which was easily done, as he had no rival, and in a short time was fairly set down as the successor of Mrs. St. Felix.  As for the doctor, he appeared to envy Tom his having possession of the shop which his fair friend once occupied; he was inconsolable, and there is no doubt but that he, from the period of her quitting Greenwich, wasted away until he eventually was buried in the churchyard.  A most excellent man was Dr. Tadpole, and his death was lamented by hundreds who esteemed his character, and many hundreds more who had benefited not only by his advice, but by his charitable disposition.  About ten years after my marriage Ben the Whaler was summoned away.  His complaint was in the liver, which is not to be surprised at, considering how many gallons of liquor he had drunk during his life.