ES LAMB.

George Rivers had an antipathy to ladies' last words keeping the horses
standing, and his wife and sister dutifully seated themselves in the
carriage at once, without an attempt to linger.

Four of the young gentlemen were to walk across to Abbotstoke and dine
at the Grange; and Tom, who, reasoning from analogy, had sent on his
black tie and agate studs, was so dismally disconcerted on finding that
Norman treated his own going as a matter of course, that Richard,
whose chief use of his right of primogeniture was to set himself aside,
discovered that he was wanted at home, and that Tom would be much better
at the Grange, offering, at the same time, to send Norman's dressing
things by Dr. Spencer.

"Which," observed Thomas, "he would never have recollected for himself."

"Tom would have had to lend him the precious studs."--"He would not have
had them; who would wear imitation?" "I say, Tom, what did you give
for them?" "Better ask what the Jew gave for them, that bought them at
Windsor Fair; not a bad imitation, either--pity they weren't Malachite;
but, no doubt, the Jew thought green would be personal." "As if they had
any business to talk, who didn't know a respectable stud when they saw
it--Harry, especially, with his hat set on the back of his head, like a
sailor on the stage"--(a leap to set it to rights--a skirmish, knocking
Tom nearly into the ditch). "Fine experience of the stage--all came from
Windsor Fair." "Ay, Hector might talk, but didn't he pay a shilling
to see the Irish giant. He wouldn't confess, but it was a famous take
in--giant had potatoes in his shoes." "Not he; he was seven feet
ten high." "Ay, when he stood upon a stool--Hector would swallow
anything--even the lady of a million postage stamps had not stuck in
his throat--he had made Margaret collect for her." "And, had not
Tom, himself, got a bottle of ointment to get the red out of his
hair?"--(great fury). "His hair wasn't red--didn't want to change the
colour--not half so red as Hector's own." "What was it then? lively
auburn?" But for fear of Norman's losing his bearings, Harry would fetch
a carrot, to compare. "Better colour than theirs could ever be." "Then
what was the ointment for? to produce whiskers? that was the reason Tom
oiled himself like a Loyalty islander--his hair was so shiny, that Harry
recommended a top-knot, like theirs, etc."

Norman was, like the others, in such towering glee, and took so full a
share of the