nd a private of
the same company, were billeted at quite a gentleman's house, the
owners of which were unusually kind to us. We found we had completely
jumped into clover, and fortunately it happened to be Saturday night,
so that our halt was till Monday morning; not that Sunday in those
times had been used to make much difference to us, for two of our
bloodiest conflicts had happened on that day, but in this case, our
haste not being urgent, it gave us a kind of sweet repose.

As soon as we arrived at our house we were shown into our room, which
was a very nice one and beautifully furnished; and when we had taken
off our accoutrements, we went downstairs to a sort of bath-room,
where we had a good wash in tubs of water that were placed in
readiness for us. Then the gentleman had some clean stockings brought
up to us, and when we had made ourselves comfortable he sent up to our
room a loaf of bread and a large bottle of wine holding about three
pints, which we found most acceptable; and it not being long before
the family's dinner was ready, our hostess would insist on our dining
with them. For my own part, not being used to such pomp, and never
having before even seen it, being more accustomed to the kind of
dinners and suppers in which I have described our own colonel and
captain as taking part, I would sooner have crept out of the
invitation; but being pressed we consented, and having been shown into
the dining-room, we sat down to an excellent repast with nobody else
but the lady and gentleman.

The table was laid out most gorgeously with glittering silver, which
came very awkward to our clumsy hands, as we had been more accustomed
to using our fingers for some years; to set off which gorgeousness our
waiter, who was evidently the family footman, wore an out-of-the-way
fine and ugly dress, with his hair plastered up with white powder, of
which I had such an aversion during the first part of my stay in the
army. A most palatable dinner was served of which I freely partook,
though I had very little idea of what it consisted, and some good wine
was likewise often handed round with which our glasses were constantly
kept filled.

After dinner was over, the white-headed gentleman entered with coffee,
a fashion which then surprised us very much; but nevertheless, more
out of compliment than because we needed it, we took a cup each with
some sugar-candy which was also handed round to sweeten it. When that
was finished,