no one was to be waited for. So the chairs of the absentees were
shoved up, and reminded Mr. Slater, who was quite high in spirits, of
_The Vacant Chair_, which he sang to the bass of Judge Blodgett, and a
humming accompaniment by Alvord and Edgington. Professor Blatherwick
listened with rapt attention and was much affected.

"Dis iss Heidelberg unt stutent tays," said he. "Strong and luffing
hearts, ant veak hets ant stomachs! Oh, te svorts ant steins ant songs
ant scraps! It iss brotuctife of tears ant schmiles!"

"Especially smiles," said Mr. Simpson; "and right in that connection,
these cocktails are supposed to go in ahead of the refection.
Gentlemen, a good time to all!"

Now, after some courses of soup and fish and _entrees_, Mr. Alvord
noted the cocktails and the unconsumed glasses of wine at the plates of
Bulliwinkle and Cox, and with a sense of equity truly Anglo-Saxon, he
raised the point that it was an injustice to those who had been prompt,
to have these two fresh competitors come in late and entirely sober in
the middle of the feast.

"Point seems to be well taken," said Judge Blodgett. "I move, your
Honor, that the wet goods apportionable to our absent friends be set
aside for them."

"Sustained!" roared Simpson. "Let the booze of Bulliwinkle and Cox be
filed away for future reference, in the sideboard!"

So their glasses stood in two rows, lengthening course by course,
awaiting the coming of the absentees. And thus it was that when Mr.
Bulliwinkle, fat, bald, and rubicund, made his appearance, the
proceedings were suspended until he had imbibed his share, glass by
glass, beginning with the cocktails and ending temporarily with
Madeira. Then Mr. Bulliwinkle suddenly became profoundly grave, and
was soon detected by Alvord in the act of stealthily endeavoring to
place his finger accurately upon certain small round spots in the
table-cloth. Whereupon, Mr. Bulliwinkle, to show how entirely he had
himself in hand, proposed a toast in verse beginning,

"Now here's to the girl with the auburn hair,
And the shoulders whiter than snow,"

and drank it off in a bumper. All seemed to forget Bulliwinkle at this
and transferred their attention to Amidon, and pounded on the table and
called for a response from him. Blodgett nodded for him to yield, and
in order that he might be fully in character, Florian began by saying
that they, who knew him so well were quite well aware that he could
resp