Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-11-04

the table. They stare at me as 1 stand by the
side of Crumms, and he introduces me as
waiting, and whom he has made bold enough to
bring. Then, As IL that settled the matter he
goes of TO business, and asks several questions
as TO the number and names of the guests /
notice the servants all treat him with great re-
spect and he in return, il condescending and DO
lite TO them With me when they are in the
room, he assumes an authoritative air, and all
the time he is very grave. and looks as IL the
cares of his position are too much for him. He
smiles once, when we are alone, as hand him a
jelly; and then his muscles being relaxed, his
old ht Of laughing suddenly breaks out again.
He cannot laugh loud, but he laughs hwardly
and shakes so tremendously that the jelly rolls
ard trembles to an alarming degree; and IL is
only by means of promptly taking it under my
own protection, that save it from being shaken
on the floor.
80 Lor. to think of you being here" he NUT
ters; and the next instant il gravity itself, as
Mrs. Domville's voice is heard on the stairs.
She is a middle-aged lady, and speaks in a
friendly manner 10 Mr.. Crumms. and is particu-
lar in her inquiries after his wife aud children.
He points me out as young friend of his, who
has come to help him; aud Mrs. Domvilie seems
quite satisfied, and goes upstairs again to the
drawing-room.
Feur O'Clock. The dinner is ready, and all the
hind the door, and goes himself to the head OF
the table, and I watch the people as they come
into the room and take their places.
They are mostly middle-aged, like their host
and hostess, and evidently old friends; for sew
eral nod to Crumms. and one gentleman isquite
hearty IN his greeting. and saws il would not
seem like Christmas dinner without him. Mr..
Domville laughs, and asks after Mrs. Crumms;
but Crumms refuses to be thus thawed, and re-
plies in tone as If such trifiing questions inter-
fered with the responsibility of his position.
So far everything has gone right. Then comes
a slight mishap. Just as everybody is seated
and silent, and Mr.. DOmville going to say grace,
Crumms gives me signal. and step forward
quietly TO close the door. The movement at
tracts the attention of young lady, who is sit
ting with her back to me, and she turns round.
She evidently has not noticed me before, and
her laughing gray eyes scan me with surprise.
My face is a new one to her among the we'll
known faces round the table. L suppose she
thinks am guest who has arrived late and
just come into the room, and seeing me standing
says cOurteousy:
Isn't there a chair for your" Then turning
round to Mrs. Domville, 30, aunt! here is
gentleman left out in the cold"
Mr.. DOmville, instead of saying grace, looks
up stares, and half rises from his chair, while
the company all turn toward me. Its certainly
comes to the rescue, and says quietly, :" 1t is
quite right, Helen" The young lady looks a
little confused, and then Crumms, in his ner-
vousness, spells everything by rushing up to
He's come to help me wait, Miss Linton
My fair champion thereupon bushes very
deeply, and begs my pardon; several Of the
mouth; Crumms looks half angrily, half apollo
getically, at me; and at last Mr.. DOmville, in q
shaky voice, says grace, while Miss Linton
The next moment Crumms, serious and imper-
turbable as ever, removes the cover OF the soup,
and the dinner begins.
believe 1 acqut myself creditably. Crumms
declares that did wonderfully we'll, and. is in
clined to think, believe, that have wasted
natural talent by not being waiter. At any
rate. l don't spill anything over arybodys
fully watch Crumms for his signals, and, thanks
to having been at a dinner before, though not in
the capacity of a waiter, have some idea of
what ought to be done, and 50 remove the right
covers and hand round such dishes as ought TO
be handed at the proper time. The greatest
difficulty have is to keep my countenance,
particularly when hand anything to Miss Lin
ton. She is so bright-looking; and it is such fun
to see the sparkle in her eyes and the way they
drop when they meet mine, and a little re-
pressed smile stealing over her lips, that it taxes
my powers to the utmost to keep from laughing.
feel that should like to kick the young fellow
sitting by her side. He does not seem to have
very much TO say for himself, and he examines
every dish as ii is handed to him, through an eye
glass. His inspection is 50 long and his nose Ii
so close that have growing inclination to bob
the dish up in mis- face. For more than half the
dinner he is silent, then he talks little politics,
staunch conserva tism, and Miss Linton imme-
ately ennnciates the strongest radical princi-
pies, upholds woman's suffrage, and their hav-
ing seats in parliament. This seems to over
whelm him, and he retiree from the contest with
sigh.
Later on, he tries again; when the mince pies
are being handed round.
"Will you have a happy month";" he asks
with faint smile which disturbs his eye-glas
and brings il down into his lap. He readjusts 1t
joke, asks her to have some mince-pie.
:" No, thank youi never eat them" she re-
plies
frowning as if he were a barrister cross-examin-
ing witness, but probably because his glass
gives premonitory slip.
about them" she answers.
He has no comment to make upon her reply,
and he helps himself in silence.
Sir O'Clock. Crumms and solemnly put on
little one way or the other, and leave the room.
"Bravo!" whispers Crumms, when we are in
the hall. "Bravo, sir! With little teaching
you'd make capital waiter. And Miss Linton
installing you for a gentleman, too. What q
joke! At least" he adds, as IL he suddenly
feels that he has made rather a mistake him
self, "of course that is what you are, and gent
Is always gent, 1 say. But you understand,
sir. 1t was so ludicrous."
Perfectly. i understand, Crumms. What
are you going to do now?"
81 generally have something in the housekeep-
er's room. Maybe you wouldn't like that,
though we should be quite alone"
AS ant something TO eat, and am not par
ticular where get il, / follow Crumms down
stairs into the kitchen. The servants there are
busy washing up the plates and dishes, amid a
far from pleasant. The housekeeper takes us at
once into her room, where there is a cloth
spread upon the table, and row of the good
things from upstairs on a kind of dresser.
"YOu are sure you don't mind, SIR" saws
Crumms to me, when we were alone, "because
III wait till you are done, if You like. am not
hungry
But am, and shall not begin till you do, -
1 answer; and we sit down together. The soup
Is cold and fast becoming jelly: the fish looks
manged and unsavory; 50 / decline soup and
fish. j lind that the having little something in
the kitchen after dinner is over upstairs re-
quires training before it becomes really enioya-
bic. Crumms evidently has had the full amount
OF training that Is necessary. For a man who
processes not to be hungry, and who has had a
good dinner few hours before, he displays a
capabiity for eating that is truly wonderful. /
prefer the dishes that have not been touched up-
stairs; he, on the contrary, is on equally good
terms with them all. However, | get quite
enough to satisfy me, and there is a novelty in
eating ones Christmas dinner with waiter i'm a
| back-kitchen. The wine certainly is the best
| part. Crumms has taken care there shall be
| plenty of that, and makes most liberal host
| with Mr.. Domviile's Port and Sherry.
Screen O'Clock. Crumms says he must take the
| coffee up to the gentlemen, and leaves the room
| No sooner is he gone than one OF the servants
| comes in, apparently i'm search of something.
4 Whatever IL is, she does not find it. She hunts
| about vaguely for a minute, and then stops OPP