he asked, in great agitation: "must I take the oath of Loyalty; or am I required by Yankee philanthropy to marry a negress?" At the sound of his voice, Mr. BUMSTEAD left the shoulder of Mr. SIMPSON, upon which he had been leaning with great weight, and, coming forward in three long skips, deliberately wound his right hand in the speaker's neck-tie.

"The EDWINSbone handle," explained Mr. BUMSTEAD, lurching towards his captive.

"Mr. BUMSTEAD, pray be more calm," implored the Reverend OCTAVIUS.

Mr. BUMSTEAD, still holding him by the neck-tie, cast a fiery and unsettled glance around at nothing in particular; then ground his teeth audibly, and scowled.

There, when the story had been sorrowfully repeated by the Gospeler, Mr. BUMSTEAD exhibited the core of the apple, and tickled the magistrate almost into hysterics by whispering very closely in his ear, that it was a core curiously similar to that of the last apple eaten by his nephew; and, having been found in an apple from the prisoner's satchel, might be useful in evidence.

"Then," said Mr. BUMSTEAD, with great force,"THEN, gen'l'men, you-knownor-wahritis-to-lose-'n-umbrella!"

" "Mr. BUMSTEAD," returned the old man, coldly, "I am not talking of an umbrella, but of Mr. EDWIN.

" "I've just seen my ward, Mr. BUMSTEAD.

" "I'm vahr' sorry," said Mr. BUMSTEAD, just audibly.

" Starting forward in his chair, with partially opened eyes, the white-washed and dingy Mr. BUMSTEAD managed to get off his hat, covering himself with a bandanna handkerchief and innumerable old pieces of paper and cloth, as he did so, from head to foot; made a feeble effort to throw it at the aged lawyer; and then, chair and all, tumbled forward with a crash to the rug, where he lay in a refreshing sleep.

Fully bound now in the sinister spell of the spice of the Molucca islands, Mr. BUMSTEAD had regained that condition of his duplex existence to which belonged the disposition he had made of his lethargic nephew and alpaca umbrella on that confused Christmas night; and with such realization of a distinct duality came back to him at least a partial recollection of where he had put the cherished two.

" "Ishthis prop'r language t' address-t'-y'r-relative?" inquired Mr. BUMSTEAD, in a severely reproachful manner.

"And what, JOHN BUMSTEAD, did you do with my oroide watch and other jewels?" "Musht've spilt'm on the road here," returned the musing uncle, faintly remembering that they had been found upon the turnpike, shortly after Christmas, by Gospeler SIMPSON.

"Yeshir," answered Mr. BUMSTEAD, with sudden energy.

Mr. BUMSTEAD, rousing from a brief doze, glanced indifferently towards the spot indicated; but, in another instant, was on his knees beside the undefined object he there beheld.

"Aha!" twitted the apparition, "then you have some heart left, JOHN BUMSTEAD?" "Heart!"

And the spectre walked between these two, carrying Mr. BUMSTEAD'S skeleton in its hand.

I have to teach you, in justice to a much-injured man, that we have, in our hearts, cruelly wronged that excellent and devout Mr. BUMSTEAD, by suspecting him of a crime whereof he is now proved innocent at least I suspected him.

"Sold again: signed, J. BUMSTEAD," exclaims a deep voice.

Staring majestically from one face to the other, and from thence towards the illuminating bonfire, Mr. BUMSTEAD, quite unconscious of the picturesque effect of the towel on his head, deliberately draws an antique black bottle from his pocket, moistens his lips therewith, passes it to the Comic Paper man, and eats a clove.

"And I, Mr. BUMSTEAD," says the old lawyer, "must apologize to you for having indulged a wrong suspicion.

Next steps to the front Mr. TRACEY CLEWS, with his surprising head of hair, and archly remarks: "I believe you take me for a literary man, Mr. BUMSTEAD.

Mr. BUMSTEAD reaches for it mechanically; a look of intelligence comes into his glassy eyes; then they fairly flame.

thunders the regenerated BUMSTEAD, in a tone of inconceivable triumph.

The manufacturer is Mr. F.D. Bumstead, Hednesford, Staffordshire.