Eccentricities and Absence of Mind. 189 



the end farthest from the door, and this 

 1 The Druid ' at once appropriated ; but not 

 a paper could he get hold of, which seemed 

 to aggravate him not a little. He had with 

 him a huge rough stick, resembling a cudgel 

 such as an Irish cattle drover might carry, 

 and this, with a bang that startled everybody 

 in the room, he allowed to drop upon the 

 table just in front of him. Simultaneously 

 in a hoarse whisper which was quite audible 

 all over the room, he looked towards his 

 friend, and muttered, ' I say, Bob, do you 

 think some of these fellows will clear out 

 soon ? ' He then proceeded to divest him- 

 self of his collar and necktie, and these also 

 he placed on the table before him. The 

 people around began to smile, but when he 

 commenced soliloquising aloud in an in- 

 coherent fashion, and rubbing his hands 

 somewhat vehemently together and laughing 

 at intervals very excitedly, their faces wore 

 a more serious aspect, and those nearest to 

 him, one by one, got up and made as though 

 they wanted to speak to some one or look 

 for something at the other end of the room. 

 In less than half an hour the whole company 



