28 Red Room and Other Chat 



member fairly became a dealer in his anxiety to have 

 the best, and sold a condemed lot of eight for a lump 

 sum. The minds of some of the Red Room oracles 

 are palaces ; they know what they know ; they are 

 hard-riding squires, too. 



Dr. Johnson was a " cross-country man," was 

 handy with his fists, and regretted the decline of 

 pugilism in his day. If the shade of the learned 

 Doctor should drop in at the Red Room during the 

 heat of discussion, doubtless he would be pleased to 

 discover that his own style of sledge-hammer ar- 

 gument "when wishing to drive home a particular 

 point" is still extant. Nevertheless, the Red Room 

 object talker is " true blue," and merits being Bos- 

 wellized. Some writers seem to think that Mr. Bos- 

 well has rather overdone the Doctor. It is hoped 

 that no critic will ever receive any support who tries 

 to take Dr. Johnson out of the hunting-field. 



May Shakespeare's epitaph, " Curst be he who 

 moves my bones," confront any House Committee 

 who proposes any change in the Red Room ! 



At one time time the Red Room had a great rival 

 in the " Raving Ward." It was an overflow sleep- 

 ing-room, which looked like a hospital ward with its 

 rows of beds. It was also an overflow bathroom. 

 It had a " splash " and shower-bath, both well pat- 

 ronized after a " run." Though the convivial glass 

 will inspire the romance of hunting, it was demon- 



