DUCK-SHOOTING. 245 



" Gentlemen, with those feelings, I could not long 

 remain in that room ; it was time to make haste ; and 

 mumbling some excuse, I escaped before a noise, 

 that seemed to be ascending the stairs, approached. 

 My friend wondered at the time I had been away, 

 abused me for allowing the light to go out, but was 

 easily convinced that the time had been lengthened 

 by his dreams. Virtue is its own reward, and, gen- 

 tlemen, I never shall regret that night." 



CHORUS " But you have not said a word of the 

 duck-shooting." 



" Well, to tell the truth, I heard next day that 

 Oscar was inquiring for me, and concluded that the 

 shooting would be better elsewhere." 



The shout of laughter that succeeded this answer 

 died away, and the unlucky man was called upon 

 for his adventure. 



UNLUCKY MAN. " Gentlemen, I can give you no 

 such entertaining history as my friend. In all my 

 life, I never saw a woman unless she was fully dressed 

 and prepared for it much as I would like to for I 

 am not endowed with one half of his virtuous senti- 

 ments. But my adventure also occurred on Long 

 Island, whither I had gone to learn trout-fishing. I 

 had a new rod of Conroy's best and most expensive 

 pattern, a book full of flies, a basket, a bait-box, a 

 net, a gaff, and all things appurtenant, and was 

 especially proud of my fishing suit, which a brother 

 of the angle had kindly selected for me. My boots 

 came above my knees, and were of yellow Russian 

 leather, with which my brown pants matched ad- 



