GEEAT -AND LITTLE' SEE EADS/'’ 
more frequently rejected than accepted. He would 
order his horsekeeper ■ to saddle the pony, take it. over 
to the Peela Tottam and, bring the ^^dnrai.’’ He rarely 
even wrote a slip of paper, but just sent a verbal 
message, ‘‘Master’s salaams. Come over and dine.” 
Brovi n was completely caught in this trap, he was a 
good-hearted fellow, and could not hurt any one’s 
feelings, tie might easily have put a stop to this, by 
sending the pony back, with “Mi)ster’s salaams. Not 
coming,” but he didn’t, he always went. It did not 
do him any harm, however, but a great deal of good, 
as there never was any spread or spree at these un- 
ceremonious requests for a visit. It was just “Beef 
steaks, curry and rice, and a glass of beer,” and 
while at this plain dinner, Wildgoose often said he 
enjoyed himself more, and had greater satisfaction, 
both present and after, than at any of his great din- 
ners. His friend said, “Give them up. Why do you 
give them?’ “Ay,” says he, “there’s the rub. I 
cannot answer your question, for when I ask myself, 
I cannot tell. The fit just comes on me sometimes to 
give a flare up. You know it is thought to be ‘ the 
thing’; it is considered necessary for one in my position, 
and with my means to it sometimes. Otherwise my 
friends would say he ’s a scrubby fellow, he turned a 
‘screw,’ “No, np,” says Brown, “your friends 
would not say that ; they would say you have turned 
a steady sensible fellow. At least I would say so, and 
so also would Jones. By the bye let’s go over and 
see Jones. It is a great shame we so seldom visit 
him, but you know he is always out at his work, and 
considers visitors rather a bore.” So away they went 
to visit Jones, who was, of course, out at his work. 
During the time they had sent for him, the bungalow 
was inspected. It was in the usual style, only clean 
and neat. Everything was coarse and rough, but neatly 
set in its proper place. When Jones came in, he asked 
them to spend the afternoon and dine, which they did. 
There was no shooting at old doors, but they walked 
down to the store, and had a turn about the coffee. 
When dinner was served, it was ample for three, a 
good dish of beef steak, sweet potatoes, curry and rice 
and glass of brandy and water, two or three if the 
guests chose, but Mr. Jones himself never took more 
than one. So of course his guests did n’t either. Mr. 
Jones never gave any great dinners, in fact he never 
even asked any one to dine with him. His idea was, 
that if you formally asked your friends to dinner, you 
must provide something better and more expensive 
than usual, but if a neighbour popped in, of course 
lie, came to see ,^mu, and get “pot luck,” he^ did not 
come to dinner. The evening was spent in social con- 
