bid. Mr Potts, whose wine had been decanted long
before, and Mrs Potts, who had vented her spleen upon her husband,
returned into the parlour together.

"My dear Mr Potts is so particular about decanting his wine," observed
the lady, with a gracious smile, as she entered--"he is so long about
it, and scolds me so if ever I wish to do it for him."

Mr Potts was a little surprised at the last accusation: but as he had
long been drilled, he laughed assent. A tedious half-hour--during which
the lady had all the conversation to herself, for the curate answered
only in monosyllabic compliance, and Rainscourt made no answer
whatever--elapsed before dinner was announced by the German mercenary
who had been subsidised.

"Meinheer, de dinner was upon de table."

"Come, Mr Rainscourt," said the curate, in a persuasive tone.

Rainscourt got up, and without offering his arm to the lady, who had her
own bowed out in readiness, stalked out of the room by the side of Mr
Potts, followed by his wife, who, by her looks, seemed to imply that she
considered that the demise of one woman was no excuse for a breach of
politeness towards another.

The covers were removed--two small soles (much _too small_ for three
people), and a dish of potatoes. "Will you allow me to offer you a
little sole, Mr Rainscourt? I am afraid you will have a very poor
dinner."

Rainscourt bowed in the negative, and the soles disappeared in a very
short time between the respective organs of mastication of Mr and Mrs
Potts.

The dishes of the first course were removed; and the German appeared
with a covered dish, followed by Sally, who brought some vegetables, and
returned to the kitchen for more.

"I'm afraid you will have a very poor dinner," repeated the lady.--"Take
off the cover, Sneider.--Will you allow me to help you to a piece of
this?"

Rainscourt turned his head round to see if the object offered was such
as to tempt his appetite, and beheld a--_smoking bullock's heart_!

"My wife, my wife!" exclaimed he, as he darted from his chair; and
covering his face, as if to hide from his sight the object which
occasioned the concatenation of ideas, attempted to run out of the room.

But his escape was not so easy. In his hurried movement he had
entangled himself with the long table-cloth that trailed on the carpet,
and, to the dismay of the party, everything that was on the table was
swept off in his retreat; and as he had blindfolded himself, he r