80 LAKE SUPERIOR. 



tians but feeding like animals ; to thrust one's fork 

 or spoon into the dish appropriated to holding food 

 for all, is uncleanly and offensive ; to eat peas with 

 a knife is bad enough, buf to use it immediately 

 afterwards to cut butter from the butter-plate is 

 absolutely disgusting. No one who does these 

 things is either a lady or a gentlemen; and no one 

 who cannot keep his arms at his side while cutting 

 his meat is fit to eat at a public table. 



There was one gentleman, as he would claim to 

 be considered, who sat near us, who, although he 

 had a proper silver fork, endeavored religiously to 

 eat his peas on a knife that happened to have a small 

 point. This operation, always difficult and danger- 

 ous, became, from the formation of the blade, almost 

 impossible ; the peas rolled off at every attempt, and 

 the unfortunate rarely succeeded in carrying to his 

 mouth more than one at a time, till finally reduced 

 to despair, he seized a table-spoon, and with it de- 

 voured them in great mouthfuls. 



The dinner was quite a lively scene ; the ladies, 

 although there was plenty of room, were smuggled 

 in clandestinely before the gong was sounded, and 

 the men, dreading the horrors of a second table, 

 rushed for the remaining chairs, standing behind 

 and guarding them religiously, but politely waiting 

 till the ladies were seated. There was plenty of 

 food, but each man immediately collected such deli- 

 cacies as were near him, and he imagined he might 

 need, and transferred ^hem to his plate or a small 

 saucer. There was abundance of time, no one hav- 



