and ostentation. In fact, they seem exactly suited to each other. He, I have no doubt, up to the present time, has been employed in putting out the wine and carefully decanting it, for he would never trust the key of his cellar to a butler. She has been equally busy the whole of the morning in superintending jellies and making creams. Nobody, however, can dispute his being a gentleman. Her pretensions to the title of a lady are, I think, somewhat more equivocal. But look, do you see those two persons entering the hall? One is Sir Charles Radcliffe, the strong whig, and, as fame goes, a great rhodomantader; the short one is Captain Dory, his constant companion, an officer on half-pay, whose merits, as far as I can understand, consist in being able to swallow as much wine as the Baronet chooses, to speak when he is spoken to, to ride and shoot at command, to play at billiards on a wet day, and, as a principal duty, to back up with his word, if necessary, every suspicious assertion which his friend and master makes. In return, he lives .well, has a good house over his head, keeps two horses without any expense, sees the best society, and in fact enjoys every thing except the liberty of doing with himself as he chooses."

The room was by this time very full, and the assembly, as I thought, completed, when a thorough Dandy was introduced. You are so well acquainted with these animals, that I have no need to describe his external appearance. I can only say that I do not think even Eton could turn out such a one. He was fashion all over;-fashionable in his dress, tone, and manner, and perhaps most fashionable in being later than every one else. "Who," said I, "is this gay young man?” "What!" my informant replied, "he is one of my cloth-the curate to an old gentleman who is unable to perform his own duty. I see you are more surprised at my answer than I was at your question. He certainly is now a bit of a puppy, but that will wear off in time, and he will be as sober as I am when he becomes a vicar. He is in the habit of annoying me very much by constantly asking me to officiate in his place under some pretence or other, of going to see his friends at London or Bath; and whenever I happen to wish for a return of the favour, he is never in the way. But he is a good-natured well-meaning fellow, I believe, and, besides, I hate to refuse."

I might have been honoured with a farther account, if a joyful messenger had not announced, to the satisfaction of the company, that dinner was on the table. It would have been worth while for you to have been there, if it were only to have seen Rowley's face, which had been heavy and dismal enough for some time, and now lightened up to a degree that I never witnessed even at the merriest meetings of the Club. He jumped up from his seat, opened his eyes, and most politely drew his chair out of the way of some ladies who happened to be passing. There was such a con

fusion and delay about the order of precedence, that I longed for one of those ancient seneschals, whom Scott is so fond of, with his gold-headed staff, who could tell a man's rank by a single glance, and could settle disputes by a single word. Our host was the most improper person in the world for such a task; however, at last they marshalled themselves and marched onwards-to use the old Officer's phrase. Our hiding-place did not screen us from some very inquisitive eyeings, which I longed to return, but unluckily I had left my glass behind me, or I should have given the retort courteous with a vengeance. My friend, as the people passed, said the party did not appear so large as usual, which he ascribed to the numbers who lived on the Continent, and the still greater number who were absent on the Queen's business, who would have formed the most distinguished part. We, like modest folks, brought up the rear. Rowley's looks were so much altered in a short time, that I could not help asking him what was the matter? "Nothing," said he, evidently betraying his apprehension," nothing indeed, only all will be so cold." It was easy to supply what he meant, and I must allow his suspicions were well-grounded, not to mention that the dining-room was as naked and lofty, as full of doors and windows, as any temple of Æolus; one of the two fire-places, built in the old hospitable times, was covered with a screen, after the notions of modern frugality. To make matters better, another stoppage was occasioned by the ridiculous punctilio of arranging the places at the table. At last these difficulties were overcome, and I found myself seated with Rowley on one side, and the warrior on the other, owing to the disproportionate quantity of ladies. As I am neither a great eater nor a good cook, I cannot give you an adequate idea of the venison, soups, champagne, &c.; I can only say that there was plenty of every thing, and every thing appeared to be good. If you want farther particulars, I must refer you to Rowley, who, I have no doubt, knows all the dishes by sight, and a good many of them more intimately. If I suf fered the cloth to be removed without having satisfied my appetite, it was not from any want of attention on his part, for he never ceased every now and then recommending one thing or another which he had found to be excellent by experience. How pathetically he lamented that they should not use those nice little lamps which keep the fricassees in a perpetual stew without the smallest trouble! But I never shall forget his consternation, when, after a long time and much exertion, a little lukewarm soup was brought to him in a plate half-cold. He said nothing, but his whole countenance changed colour, and I never before saw such a mingled expression of anger and dismay. This disappointment he made up for with some good slices of venison, ever and anon washed down with a glass of champagne, in which he bothered me to keep him

company, Mrs. Thompson put me very much in mind of the physician who took such good care of Sancho Panca's health on his accession to the principality of Barrataria. The moment her poor husband had got any thing before him she interposed her rod."Bless me, my dear, what are you doing?—that same curry gave you the gout once before; let me give you a little wing of chicken, and send away that horrid spicy stuff;-you might as well eat poison. Remember, you are but just recovered." The servant behind her understood the nod, and whisked away the dangerous viand before Mr. Thompson could say any thing against it. She would not let him drink a glass of wine before she had herself tempered it with a quantum suff. of water. I plainly saw how he was tormented when any one asked him to drink a glass of Burgundy. He first looked at his wife, whose visage gave an evident veto, and then drawled out a reluctant No. Little did his good nurse foresee the ample amends he was about to make after her departure, for the restrictions she had put upon him at dinner. Our Host did nothing but carve, scarcely opening his mouth, either to swallow or to speak; in the latter respect his lady fully made up for him. She was in a perpetual ferment, beckoning, calling, and whispering to the servants. I observed her particularly attentive to Lord Wingham, who sat on her right hand. "Your Lordship has really eat nothing: let me persuade you to take a patty, or one of those cutlets." A significant shake of the head, accompanied with a polite excuse, changed her entreaties to condolence. "Dear me! I am so sorry! I am afraid there is nothing that your Lordship likes." I know not whether her pressing solicitations, frustrated by the inflexible Lord, took an oblique direction to the old officer; but certain it is that he acquitted himself like a campaigner, and even rivalled Rowley in the quantity, but not the variety, of his food. Never was eating better studied, or talking less. No one person tried to be amusing. I listened in vain, with the hope of catching some bon mot; or what would do equally well, some attempt at one, that I might sport as my own the next time that the Club met, sure of not being detected by Rowley, who was, as usual, better employed, or by Burton, who was quite busied in a deep conversation with the East Indian, from whom he afterwards told me he received a great deal of information respecting the commercial laws of the Company, the comparative price which the native and imported articles bear, and many other useful particulars. Just at this time, when many had laid down their weapons altogether, and even the most persevering began to think they had done enough, the officer washed down his first course with a good tumbler of ale, better, I can tell you, by many degrees, than Garraway's Best, and employed his vacant interval between the two courses, in taking a

deliberate view of my humble person. "Well," said he, "young man! I hear you are an Etonian-a very pretty thing to be, I dare say. Long before I was half as big or half as old as you, I carried my colours against those cursed Yankees. Fine amusement it was for a boy of sixteen to be popped at by some rascal or other concealed behind every hedge to be beaten up five times every night with different alarms-fighting and starving all the day, bivouacking all the night; always retreating but never beaten, till at last we retreated to old England. This is what I got by preferring the discipline of an army to the discipline of a school." I took advantage of a pause for breath, to ask him if he was ever quartered at Windsor. "Yes," he replied, " for a short time;-there I used to see the Eton boys of that time, who, as far as I could judge, appeared to have nothing to do but to lounge and saunter about Windsor-but I was never kept upon the peace establishment, never intended for a painted sentinel. My pay and my promotion were not given me for nothing. Many a tough rub had I under the Duke of York, with the French revolutionary rabble, as they called them; but rabble or soldiers, they fought like devils. There the King of Prussia was pleased to give me this bauble," (he pointed to his star,) " I suppose I might have got myself styled 'Sir' when I came home again, but what is knighthood worth? Why every county Sheriff, every paltry Mayor, may have it if he pleases. Well, then, this expedition ended in retreat, and I returned Major-with an order and a wound. After this I was driven from Toulon, half blinded in Egypt; and, to crown all, disabled at Walcheren." Thus far, and another pause; the cloth had been removed for some time, and I could not invent any means of averting the threatened dissertation on the merits of old and new tactics, upon the advantage and respectability of powdered heads, long queues, long-tailed coats, and cocked hats, when the Lady Hostess opportunely and unexpectedly condescended to ask me some trivial question. In the mean time the indefatigable warrior fixed upon another victim, and I heard for a long time the ominous words, campaign, battle, commanding officer, sounded in my ears at intervals.

Shortly after this the Ladies retired, and every Gentleman, by a natural instinct, took a vacant seat, if it happened to be nearer the fire than his own. I, by a fortunate evolution, placed Rowley's insuperable taciturnity between me and this military lecturer, and freed myself from anxiety for the rest of the night. I never saw so sudden a change effected in a few minutes, as the one which now took place. The bottle went briskly round, and after the long silence there appeared to be quite a Babel of tongues, when in reality there was nothing more than sociable conversation. The first topic started was preserving game. Mr.

Sandford said, that he gave all his tenants leave to shoot, course, and kill what they liked except foxes; as to the pheasants and partridges he cared not a farthing for them, and the rabbits and hares did so much mischief to the crops and young trees, that they were no better than vermin, and he wished heartily they were all extirpated. Mr. Thompson condemned the Game Laws as arbitrary and cruel-talked about the injustice of transporting a man just for killing a few birds, and then selling them to keep his family; "surely the farmers had a right to them." His opinion was not much attended to; for, with his usual inconsistency, he was known to guard his manorial rights more strictly than any gentleman in the County. "Mr.Thompson," said a person from the other end of the table, whose name I did not know, "what became of the rascals whom you prosecuted at the last Assizes for poaching?" This somewhat staggered the advocate for liberty; however, he contrived to hatch an excuse. "You are mistaken; they threatened my gamekeeper's life; what could I do?-they are only to be kept to hard labour in the hulks for a few years." victory was complete, and the subject was dropped.

The

Next, by an easy consequence, came shooting adventures. Various were the opinions, all of high authority, about pointers, setters, and spaniels. Lord Wingham boasted greatly of his fifty guinea Manton, just turned out, and his beautiful new black bitch. Many, who had not opened their mouths before the whole night, gave out how much slaughter they had committed on the first days of September and October. But Sir C. Radcliffe at one stroke left them all far behind him. He mentioned, as a singular circumstance, his having killed a wild duck at the distance of seventy yards, with a charge accidentally consisting of dust shot. They all looked at each other, and stared with astonishment. "Oh!" said Captain Dory, "I remember the circumstance which you allude to perfectly well; I was with you at the time; it happened as you were out snipe-shooting, just at that swamp between the Rivers." "Well done," rejoined the Baronet, "thanks to your good memory, -really otherwise the thing would appear almost incredible. Do you recollect my favourite greyhound Pincher tumbling down a high chalk-pit with a hare in his mouth, and running another course afterwards?" "Yes," said he, " as well as I can any thing. We were some distance behind, when Daphne stood still on a sudden, and Pincher vanished altogether. I rode round, expecting to find him half dead, with all his bones broken; I jumped off my horse, and discovered that he had sustained no other injury than a sprain in one toe, which was probably done in the running before." This remarkable story introduced fox-hunting in all its glory. We had spirited accounts from different hands of all the hard runs this season, embellished with every