the mess; leave a jolly party just at the
jolliest moment; exchange Lafitte and red hermitage for a _soiree_ of
elders, presided over by that sweet man, Mr. M'Phun! It was too bad!--but
then, how much was in the scale! What would the widow say if I declined?
What would she think? I well knew that the invitation meant nothing less
than a full-dress parade of me before her friends, and that to decline was
perhaps to forfeit all my hopes in that quarter forever.

"'Any answer, sir?' said the waiter.

"'Yes,' said I, in a half-whisper, 'I'll go,--tell the servant, I'll go.'

"At this moment my tender epistle was subtracted from before me, and ere I
had turned round, had made the tour of half the table. I never perceived
the circumstance, however, and filling my glass, professed my resolve to
sit to the last, with a mental reserve to take my departure at the very
first opportunity. Ormond and the paymaster quitted the room for a moment,
as if to give orders for a broil at twelve, and now all seemed to promise a
very convivial and well-sustained party for the night.

"'Is that all arranged?' inquired the major, as Ormond entered.

"'All right,' said he; 'and now let us have a bumper and a song. Adjutant,
old boy, give us a chant.'

"'What shall it be, then?' inquired I, anxious to cover my intended retreat
by any appearance of joviality.

"'Give us--

"When I was in the Fusiliers
Some fourteen years ago."'

"'No, no; confound it! I've heard nothing else since I joined the regiment.
Let us have the "Paymaster's Daughter."'

"'Ah! that's pathetic; I like that,' lisped a young ensign.

"'If I'm to have a vote,' grunted out the senior major, 'I pronounce for
"West India Quarters."'

"'Yes, yes,' said half-a-dozen voices together; 'let's have "West India
Quarters." Come, give him a glass of sherry, and let him begin.'

"I had scarcely finished off my glass, and cleared my throat for my song,
when the clock on the chimney-piece chimed half-past nine, and the same
instant I felt a heavy hand fall upon my shoulder. I turned and beheld my
servant Tim. This, as I have already mentioned, was the hour at which Tim
was in the habit of taking me home to my quarters; and though we had dined
an hour later, he took no notice of the circumstance, but true to his
custom, he was behind my chair. A very cursory glance at my 'familiar' was
quite sufficient to show me that we had somehow changed sides; for Tim, who
was habit