upon his guard, and spoke low and sparingly. The Dictator, on the

other hand, appeared to enjoy an unusual flow of spirits; his

laugh, which was youthful and pleasant to hear, sounded frequently

from the garden; by the modulation and the changes of his voice it

was obvious that he told many droll stories and imitated the

accents of a variety of different nations; and before he and the

young clergyman had finished their vermouth all feeling of distrust

was at an end, and they were talking together like a pair of school

companions.

At length Miss Vandeleur made her appearance, carrying the soup-

tureen. Mr. Rolles ran to offer her assistance which she

laughingly refused; and there was an interchange of pleasantries

among the trio which seemed to have reference to this primitive

manner of waiting by one of the company.

"One is more at one's ease," Mr. Vandeleur was heard to declare.

Next moment they were all three in their places, and Francis could

see as little as he could hear of what passed. But the dinner

seemed to go merrily; there was a perpetual babble of voices and

sound of knives and forks below the chestnut; and Francis, who had

no more than a roll to gnaw, was affected with envy by the comfort

and deliberation of the meal. The party lingered over one dish

after another, and then over a delicate dessert, with a bottle of

old wine carefully uncorked by the hand of the Dictator himself.

As it began to grow dark a lamp was set upon the table and a couple

of candles on the sideboard; for the night was perfectly pure,

starry, and windless. Light overflowed besides from the door and

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