on such occasions, in the glow of Miss Limpenny's wax
candles, Youth and Age held opposite camps, with the centre table as
debatable ground; nor, until the rubber was finished, and the round
game had ended in a seemly scramble for ratafias, would the two
recognise each other's presence, save now and then by a "Hush, if you
please, young people," from the elder sister, followed by a
whispered, "What spirits your dear girls enjoy!" for Mrs. Buzza's
ear.

But at length the signal would be given by Miss Priscilla.

"Come, a little music perhaps might leave a pleasant taste.
What do you say, Vicar?"

Upon which the Vicar would regularly murmur--

"Say, rather, would gild refined gold, Miss Limpenny."

And the Admiral as invariably broke in with--

"Come, Sophy! remember the proverb about little birds that can sing
and won't sing."

This prelude having been duly recited, the Misses Buzza would
together trip to the piano, on which the two younger girls in duet
were used to accompany Sophia's artless ballads. The performance
gained a character of its own from a habit to which Calypso clung, of
counting the time in an audible aside: as thus--

_Sophia_ (singing): "Oh, breathe but a whispered command."
_Calypso: "One, two, three, four_."
_Sophia_: "I'll lay down my life for thee!"
_Calypso: "One, two, three, four_."

--the effect of which upon strangers has been known to be paralysing,
though we who were _cumeelfo_ pretended not to notice it. But Sophy
could also accompany her own songs, such as, "Will you love me then
as now?" and "I'd rather be a daisy," with much feeling. She was
clever, too, with the water-colour brush, and to her we owe that
picture of "_ H.M.S. Calypso_ in a Storm," which hangs to this day
over the Admiral's mantelpiece.

I could dwell on this evening for ever; not that the company was so
large as usual, but because it was the last night of our simplicity.
With the next morning we passed out of our golden age, and in the
foolishness of our hearts welcomed the change.

It was announced to us in this manner--

The duets had been beaten out of Miss Limpenny's piano--an early
Collard, with a top like a cupboard, fluted in pink silk and
wearing a rosette in front; the performers, on retiring, had
curtseyed in acknowledgment of the Vicar's customary remark about the
"Three Graces "; the Admiral had wrung from his double-bass the
sounds we had learnt to identify with elfin