THE DELECTABLE LENTIL 

 the bi-weekly cotelette had been struck by that puzzling 

 tale of Esau's birthright so readily exchanged for a plat 

 de lentilles. Red pottage had become invested with an 

 almost mystical quality. 



There is often a good deal of auto-suggestion connected 

 with matters of food pleasure. At any rate the Friday 

 plat de lentilles ranked among the most desirable of eatable 

 things, in his young opinion. The answer to the jeer that 

 greeted him from the neighbour on his right, as the 

 appetizing grill was laid by the grinning attendant for the 

 first time upon the wooden board before him, was a prompt 

 offer of half the flesh portion for the whole of his allow- 

 ance of pulse and a similar disposal of the remainder on 

 the left-hand side. One chop for two plates of the savoury 

 mess : the barter, as far as the pleasures of the table were 

 concerned, was one of gain, for all parties. It had the 

 further advantage of cutting at the root of conversational 

 unpleasantness. The exchange of a single fat, heretical 

 chop for two helpings of orthodox meagre fare became 

 an established compactone, it must be said, which 

 demanded not only secrecy but adroitness for its 

 fulfilment. 



The redistribution of the courses was usually carried out 

 under the shelter of an enormous broc <a relic of con- 

 ventual furniture), the French representative of our old 

 English Black Jack / an obese, jug-like, wooden contrivance 

 with iron hoops, containing something better than a 

 gallon of the anodyne mixture called abondance~one part 

 thin red wine to four of water. It was a supply which 

 could, without danger to sobriety, be drawn upon, as the 

 regulation had it, a discretion. 



87 



