t when he ordered dinner in the fearless old
fashion attributed by tradition to the Milords of the past But he had
reckoned without his appetite.

A consequence of sea-travel, neither uncommon nor alarming, is the
putting away of all desire to eat and drink. As the waiter carried
off the untouched _hors d'oeuvres_ (whereof Maitland only nibbled the
delicious bread and butter); as he bore away the _huitres_, undiminished
in number; as the _bisque_ proved too much for the guest of the evening;
as he faltered over the soles, and failed to appreciate the cutlets; as
he turned from the noblest _crus_ (including the widow's _crus_, those
of La Veuve Cliquot), and asked for _siphon_ and _fine champagne_, the
waiter's countenance assumed an air of owl-like sagacity. There was
something wrong, the _garcon_ felt sure, about a man who could order a
dinner like Maitland's, and then decline to partake thereof. However,
even in a republican country, you can hardly arrest a man merely because
his intentions are better than his appetite. The waiter, therefore,
contented himself with assuming an imposing attitude, and whispering
something to the hall porter.

The Fellow of St. Gatien's, having dined with the Barmecide regardless
of expense, went on (as he hoped) to ingratiate himself with the
_concierge_. From that official he purchased two large cigars, which he
did not dream of attempting to enjoy; and he then endeavored to enter
into conversation, selecting for a topic the state of the contemporary
drama. What would monsieur advise him to go to see? Where was Mile. Jane
Hading playing?

Having in this conversation broken the ice (and almost every rule
of French grammar), Maitland began to lead up craftily to the great
matter--the affair of the bearskin coat. Did many English use the hotel?
Had any of his countrymen been there lately? He remembered that when he
left England a friend of his had asked him to inquire about an article
of dress--a great-coat--which he had left somewhere, perhaps in a cab.
Could monsieur the Porter tell him where he ought to apply for news
about the garment, a coat in _peau d'ours_?

On the mention of this raiment a clerkly-looking man, who had been
loitering in the office of the _concierge_, moved to the neighborhood of
the door, where he occupied himself in study of a railway map hanging on
the wall.

The porter now was all smiles. But, certainly! Monsieur had fallen well
in coming to him. Monsieur