Eureka! How? What? Thus.
One month afterwards our hero presented himself at the house of Miss
VAVASOUR, carrying under his arm a large volume, bound in calf.
"Miss VAVASOUR," said he, "I come to repeat my proposition to you. Will
you reconsider?"
"Sir?" said she.
"Things have changed," said our hero.
"Changed!" echoed she. "What do you mean, Mr. JOHN SMITH?"
"Call me not by that vile cognomen," quoth he. "Look!" and he opened the
Session Laws at page 1004.
She read:
"STATE OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF BLANK.
I, JONATHAN JERUSALEM, Clerk of said County, do hereby certify that the
following change of name has been made by the County Court of this
County, viz.:
JOHN SMITH to AUGUSTUS VAVASOUR.
In testimony whereof, I have set my hand and the seal of the County,
June 3d, 1870. JONATHAN JERUSALEM, _Clerk_." [L.S.]
She fell into his arms, and rested her palpitating head upon his
palpitating bosom. He pulled up his shirt-collar, trod on the cat, and
gently whispered, "$100,000."