8
in his person, it is no wonder that the maid servants of Mr. Ward's family, at least, should be at pull-cap as to who should win his smiles—the handsome groom of Camberwell. Such was indeed the case: the greatest jealousy existed among the "Ladies below stairs," and as circumstances favoured, first one and then the other received the encouraging smiles of the obliging James Allen. The most conspicuous competitor with James's future companion was the cook of the family; she manifested the most extravagant fondness for Allen, and so firmly was her affection fixed upon him, that after the marriage had actually taken place, she followed the envied couple to their first lodgings in Gray's-inn-lane, where she vented her reproaches and disappointment in language both loud and keen. The decided preference, however, bestowed on Abigail Naylor, could not fail to raise a host of bickerings against her; therefore, after James and Abigail had agreed to join their fate for better or for worse, it was thought advisable for both to change their situations; accordingly Abigail having heard of a situation suitable to her views, at Margate, set out for that place, and engaged with a family of respectability in her former capacity of housemaid. James also left Mr. Ward, and engaged with a gentleman of the name of Lonsdale, while in this service he regularly corresponded with his destined partner at Margate. It is to be lamented that not a vestige of that correspondence exists, the whole having been unfortunately destroyed by Mrs. Allen; for the style, the language, the propositions of one so singularly circumstanced would have been interesting in the extreme, writing, as he must have done, in an ingeniously concealed manner, a task of no little embarrassment to one so young. It has been stated, through the medium of the daily papers, that James Allen had been in the service of Mr. Alderman Atkins, as groom, but at what
