; We will say two bottles, and we
will make the first inroad on our poultry yard. We had twenty eggs,
this morning; and the woman downstairs reports that two of the hens
want to sit, though how they explained the matter to her is more
than I know; anyhow, we can afford a couple of chickens."

It was a very jovial supper, especially as it was known that the
news of the proclamation of war had been brought in, by the ship
that had arrived that morning.

"By the way, Mrs. O'Halloran," Captain Lockett said, "I have a
consignment for you. I will land it, the first thing in the
morning, for I shall sail in the evening. We are to get our letters
of marque, authorizing the capture of Spanish vessels, at ten
o'clock in the morning."

"What is the consignment, captain?"

"It is from Mr. Bale, madam. I saw him in town, a week before I
sailed, and told him I was likely to come on here, direct; and he
sent off at once three cases of champagne, and six dozen of port,
directed to you; and an eighteen gallon cask of Irish whisky, for
Captain O'Halloran."

"My dear," Captain O'Halloran said solemnly, "I believe that you
expressed, today, the opinion that your uncle was, metaphorically,
an angel. I beg that the word metaphorically be omitted. If there
was ever an angel in a pigtail, and a stiff cravat, that angel is
Mr. John Bale, of Philpot Lane."

"It is very good of him," Carrie agreed. "We could have done very
well without the whisky, but the port wine and the champagne may be
very useful, if this siege is going to be the terrible thing you
all seem to fancy."

"A drop of the craytur is not to be despised, Mrs. O'Halloran," Dr.
Burke said; "taken with plenty of water it is a fine digestive and,
when we run short of wine and beer, you will not be despising it,
yourself."

"I did not know, Teddy Burke, that you had any experience,
whatever, of whisky mixed with plenty of water."

"You are too hard on me, altogether," the doctor laughed. "There is
no soberer man in the regiment than your humble servant."

"Well, it will do you all good, if you get on short allowance of
wine, for a time. I can't think why men want to sit, after dinner,
and drink bottle after bottle of port wine. It is all very well to
say that everyone does it, but that is a very poor excuse. Why
should they do it? Women don't do it, and I don't see why men
should. I hope the time will come when it is considered just as
disgraceful, for a man to drink, as