em, whilst his toe was pushing
its way through the end of the other. For the rest, he wore a handsome
silver-hilted rapier at his side, and had a frilled cambric shirt
somewhat the worse for wear and open at the front, as was the mode with
the gallants of those days. All the time he was speaking he mumbled a
toothpick, which together with his constant habit of pronouncing his
o's as a's made his conversation sound strange to our ears. (Note D
Appendix) Whilst we were noting these peculiarities he was reclining
upon Dame Hobson's best taffatta-covered settee, tranquilly combing his
wig with a delicate ivory comb which he had taken from a small satin bag
which hung upon the right of his sword-belt.

'Lard preserve us from country inns!' he remarked. 'What with the boors
that swarm in every chamber, and the want of mirrors, and jasmine water,
and other necessaries, blister me if one has not to do one's toilet
in the common room. 'Oons! I'd as soon travel in the land of the Great
Mogul!'

'When you shall come to be my age, young sir,' Saxon answered, 'you may
know better than to decry a comfortable country hostel.'

'Very like, sir, very like!' the gallant answered, with a careless
laugh. 'For all that, being mine own age, I feel the wilds of Wiltshire
and the inns of Bruton to be a sorry change after the Mall, and the fare
of Pontack's or the Coca Tree. Ah, Lud! here comes the sack! Open it, my
pretty Hebe, and send a drawer with fresh glasses, for these gentlemen
must do me the honour of drinking with me. A pinch of snuff, sirs? Aye,
ye may well look hard at the box. A pretty little thing, sirs, from a
certain lady of title, who shall be nameless; though, if I were to say
that her title begins with a D and her name with a C, a gentleman of the
Court might hazard a guess.'

Our hostess, having brought fresh glasses, withdrew, and Decimus
Saxon soon found an opportunity for following her. Sir Gervas Jerome
continued, however, to chatter freely to Reuben and myself over
the wine, rattling along as gaily and airily as though we were old
acquaintances.

'Sink me, if I have not frighted your comrade away!' he remarked, 'Or is
it possible that he hath gone on the slot of the plump widow? Methought
he looked in no very good temper when I kissed her at the door. Yet it
is a civility which I seldom refuse to anything which wears a cap. Your
friend's appearance smacked more of Mars than of Venus, though, indeed,
those who wors