80 LAKE SUPERIOR. 



tians but feeding like animals ; to thrust one's fork 

 or spoon into the dish, appropriated to holding food 

 for all, is uncleanly and offensive ; to eat peas ■\'\itli 

 a knife is bad enough, but to use it immediately 

 afterwards to cut butter from the butter-plate is 

 absolutely disgusting. No one who does these 

 things is either a lady or a gentlemen ; and no one 

 who cannot keep his arms at his side while cutting 

 his meat is fit to eat at a public table. 



There was one gentleman, as he would claim to 

 be considered, who sat near us, who, although he 

 had a proper silver fork, endeavored religiously to 

 eat his peas on a knife that happened to have a small 

 point. This operation, always difficult and danger- 

 ous, became, from, the formation of the blade, almost 

 impossible; the peas rolled off at every attempt, and 

 the unfortunate rarely succeeded in carrying to his 

 mouth more than one at a time, till finally reduced 

 to despair, he seized a table-spoon, and with it de- 

 voured them in great mouthfuls. 



The dinner was quite a lively scene ; the ladies, 

 although there was plenty of room, were smuggled 

 in clandestinely before the gong was sounded, and 

 the men, dreading the horrors of a second table, 

 rushed for the remaining chairs, standing behind 

 and guarding them religiously, but politely waiting 

 till the ladies were seated. There was plentj^ of 

 food, but each man immediately collected such deli- 

 cacies as wore near him, and ho ioMgined ho might 

 need, and transferred them to his plate or a small 

 saucer. There was abundance of time, no one hav- 



