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At twelve, or little before that hour, the next day the wealthy Peter Dalton
was seen making his way up the granite portico of the Tremont. Arriving
at the office he promptly inquired of the Deacon in a loud tone, that all
might hear, `it the Earl of Elliston was in!'

`He is! but there goes his Honor the Mayor now to call on him.'

`I will then just go up at the same time,' said Peter, hurrying after this
dignitary whom he saw going up stairs.

`Pardon me sir,' said Olmstead in his most courteous and polite manner,
`but his lordship has sent down word that he is at home to-day only to the
mayor if he should call. You can leave your card sir.'

The India merchant growled as he did so, and as he went away began to
think about putting his name up for the next mayorality, if it gave a man
such privileges; for the mayor was not a quarter so rich as he was! The
mayor, whom, leaving Peter to grumble his way home, we will follow, was
ushered to the door of a large, handsome apartment, one of the chambres
destingues of the Tremont, and announced by a servant in plain blue livery
who stood in attendance.

`I am happy to see you, Sir, and feel honored by your kind attention,' said
a well formed, dark complectioned mad, about thirty-eight years of age,
with a fine intellectual countenance, laying down a book and coming forward
with a hand extended. The mayor was about to take it when he
started back. A smile on the other's face seconded his surprise:

`Mr. Decker?' he exclaimed half in doubt.

`Yes,' answered the nobleman smiling.

`And not the Earl of Elliston?'

`Both, sir. I was Mr. Decker yesterday, (for I chose to be) to-day I am
what I truly am, Lord Aylmer, Earl of Elliston.

`I must confess, myself mystified! Yesterday I dined with you, and you
were said to be a poor schoolmaster, now I find you to be Lord Elliston.'

`I owe you an explanation! But here now enters a gentleman who will
himself explain.'

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And the mayor turning beheld familiarly entering, the Hon. Mr. —
who had been Henry Decker's lawyer, who being called upon by the Earl
in a few words explained what is known to the reader of the claims of
Henry Decker, and what is now known to the reader of his success in substantiating
them. Mr. Decker, or rather Lord Aylmer, then in a lively
manner, informed him of his connexion with the Daltons, of their pursepride;
of his interview with Decker in his counting-room; and added,

`You will readily appreciate how I enjoyed, in my cousin's ignorance of
my success, the opportunity of letting him show his true character, which
the dinner of yesterday held out to me. I felt that I owed him a return
and think now I have nearly paid him. But I have got to have the full bent
of my humor upon him. My cousin hinted, when I took the sugar plumbs
to the children, that she should give the `lord' a party; this was to show me
how high she was in society. Mr. Dalton will probably call on me, but I
have arranged to have his card sent up to me, and then will follow the invitation,
which I shall not fail to accept. I must take care that the poor
cousin and the English lord are not one and the same before them!'

The gentlemen were highly amused at the whole affair, and the mayor
promising to keep the secret, congratulated Henry Decker on his accession
to his title. He also commended him for his admirable tact at the dinner.
While they were speaking, the servant entered with Peter's card.

`I shall ere to-morrow night get a ticket of invitation to a party at his
house,' said the Earl. `I am too well acquainted with my cousin if I do
not have it to-night, as soon as she knows Mr. Dalton has left his card.'

While Lord Alymer was dining at evening with his friend the attorney,
true to his prognostication, a card from his cousin Appollonia was handed
to him. He read as follows:

Collonade Row, No.—, Friday Afternoon.

Mr. Peter Dalton and his Lady most earnestly request the high honor of
his lordship's, the Earl of Elliston's noble company at a sworree to be given
by them in his honor Tuesday evening next.

P. S. Commence at 9 o'clock, and very select.

To a man of satirecle and humor like Henry Decker, the invitation was
highly gratifying as well as sufficiently amusing. He had lived a poor man,
but he was a scholar by education and native refinement had made him a
gentleman. He had always felt his poverty, and he had been keenly sensitive
to his treatment by his cousin and husband. But the restraint of poverty
was now gone and he could smile, laugh and be witty, as if he had
never been in humble circumstances; so soon does a man change with his
circumstances; or rather how do circumstances make a man show or conceal
his true nature. A pleasanter, wittier or more humorous gentleman,
courteous and dignified withal, as became his high rank, the Mayor and the

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Honorable lawyer thought and said that they had seldom met with. Poor
Peter Dalton and his poor wife! They had got themselves into very bad
hands!

The next day Mrs. Dalton saw a plain carriage drive to the door, a footman
in livery ring and leave a card, when the carriage drove off. Thomas
came in bearing a note on a salver.

`It has a cost-of-arms on the seal!' she exclaimed, seeing an Earl's coronet
on the seal. She tore it open in great flutter, and out fell a card. It
was that of the Earl of Elliston. Beneath it was written, simply the words,
`Invitation accepted.'

`Short, but this I dare say, is arisrocratic,' she said with unbounded delight!
and she began to feel how she should lead the ton!

Tickets were sent every where to the houses of the rich and great; and
the Dalton party was the talk of the rich parvenue portion of society. At
length the expected night came, and by ten the rooms were filled: for it
was understood the English lord was to be there. Mrs. Dalton was in a
fever of expectation. So was the India merchant, whose impatience, however,
was restrained by the mayor, who was present, who kindly invented
a score of excuses for his lordship's delay. At length he was announced.
Mrs. Dalton pressed forward from the crowd of dancers, to her post where
she received her visitors. Peter pressed forward to meet him, wiping his
forehead, which had been covered with perspiration all the evening at the
idea of speaking to and entertaining a lord.

`The Earl of Elliston!' announced in tones that showed that Thomas
did not have a lord to announce every day.

Mrs. Dalton stretched her neck and stood a-tip-toe, and trembled with
vanity and triumph. The crowd retired to make way for his lordship to
present himself to the hostess. He appears in full view!

`That infernal `poor cousin of my wife's has thrust himself in here as I
expected!' exclaimed Peter, `but I see he has had the grace to get a new
suit of clothes!'

`Mercy! That Henry Decker here as I live!' murmured the vext lady as
she saw him; Oh, how mortified I should be if he should come up and
speak to me and the Earl just coming behind him!'

Henry Decker advanced with great dignity and grace directly to the
hostess and bowed low! Peter Dalton was hurrying with indignation to
see him stepping in before the lord whom he was popping his eyes out of
his head to discover behind the schoolmaster, and was advancing sharply,
to thrust him aside, and Mrs. Dalton was turning her back to him in contempt,
when both were electrified by seeing his Honor the Mayor approach
him and salute him aloud with the title of `my Lord!' and then turning
round to Mrs. Dalton, says,

`Allow me to present to you our city's noble guest, at this present yours,
Lord Aylmer, Earl of Elliston!'

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Dear reader! we have no more to add. Pen cannot increase, immagination
cannot conceive, truth hath not language to utter, the overpowering,
overwhelming absolute confusion, consternation and horror—(yes horror is
the expressive word) of Peter Dalton and his wife at this announcement!
The lady shrieked and Peter swore! and the company was thrown for a
few moments into the most mystified confusion! But things resumed their
course again; the music and the ball went on; and Lord Aylmer was the
lion of the hour; but somth to say, rather, had Peter Dalton and his wife
have had the honored Devil for a guest that night, than Lord Aylmer, Earl
of Elliston.

In conclusion we will add that Lord Aylmer now resides on one of his
estates in England, and that he is recently married, (out of spite we think)
and that `Isaac' has no chance of succeeding to the inheritance.

Having so publicly denied the relationship to the poor `schoolmaster,' the
Daltons could not now, to the lady's intense mortification, acknowledge it
without shame, even for the eclat of being related to an Earl! Mrs. Dalton
has never forgiven herself, therefore, and we seriously fear her life will be
shortened ten years, through vexation, she having lost much fat already;
nevertheless it is a solace to her to reflect that she is, after all, first cousin
to an Earl though the world may not know it; save that they get the information
by means of our story; before ending, which we would seriously
warn all wealthy, self-made Lame Davy's `sons' and other rich folks, not to
treat with disrespect a `poor relation,' because he carrieth a seedy hat and
hath thread-bare habiliments.