488 Chapter VIII. 



requesting the guests to be punctual at dinner-time, for 

 the cook had exerted himself to the utmost of his power. 

 The following deeply felt lines by an anonymous poet 

 also appeared on a placard : 



' When dinner is punctually served at the time, 

 No fear that the milk soup will surely be prime ; 

 But the viands are spoilt if you come to it late, 

 The fish-pudding will lie on your chest a dead weight ; 

 What's preserved in tin cases, there can be no doubt, 

 If you wait long enough will force its way out, 

 Even meat of the ox, of the sheep, or of swine, 

 Very different in this from the juice of the vine ! 

 Ramornie, and Armour, and Thorne, and Herr Thus, 

 Good meats have preserved, and they tasle not amiss ; 

 So I'll just add a word, friends, of warning to you : 

 If you want a good dinner, come at one, not at two.' 



The lyric melancholy which here finds utterance 

 must have been the outcome of many bitter disappoint- 

 ments, and furnishes a valuable internal evidence as to 

 the anonymous author's profession. Meanwhile the 

 guests assembled with tolerable punctuality, the only 

 exception being your humble servant, who was obliged 

 to take some photographs in the rapidly waning day- 

 light. The menu was splendid : ( i ) ox-tail soup ; 



(2) fish-pudding w r ith melted butter and potatoes ; 



(3) turtle with marrowfat, peas, etc., etc. ; (4) rice with 

 multer (cloudberries) and cream. Crown malt extract. 

 After dinner, coffee and honey-cakes. After supper, 

 which also was excellent, there was a call for music, 

 which was liberally supplied throughout the whole even- 



