98 THE DINNER. 



say, if I may guess from what I heard the 

 same men sing afterwards, when the bottle 

 had been pretty busy. After the toasts 

 that's first given at all such dinners, the 

 old general gave a speech that wanted a 

 pair of crutches as much as he did himself, 

 for he'd been a doer, not a speaker, and 

 ' finished off with the colonel's health. Then 

 he had to speak, but he couldn't make out 

 much better; but how the company did 

 cheer ! for he was a wonderful favourite 

 with every body, and rich and poor all 

 said it was a pity he was so old. The clat- 

 ter and noise wouldn't have stopped as soon 

 as it did, only after every toast there was a 

 song ; and there was loud calls for silence 

 for the " Old English Gentleman." When 

 that was finished, the noise was worse than 

 ever; and the landlord began to 'get all the 

 borrowed things off the table, changing 

 them for his own, for fear they'd be broken. 

 But what beat all in my eyes was when the 

 " Church and Constitution" was given. I 

 could but 'think the Church had need of a 

 good constitution, if it was to stand such a 

 racket as was brought about it after it was 

 drunk. The clergyman had to answer to 



