The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-12-23
SOME MISDIRECTED LETTERS.
CHAPTER w..
A PARTIAL SOLUTION.


those counties where the land is mar
rowed and is washed ON either side by
the season. 1t is county "sweet and
civil" to use the expression which old
Fuller applies to SuG,lk; but though
the people are inclined to a proverbiaI
hospitality, the county is but thinly in
habited, and the squires live much apart
in their separate oranges and manors. I
had sent my friends notice of my advent
into their shires, and they had sent me a
a warm-hearted answer, saying that their
carriage would meet me at the roadside
station.
ut is just like. your luck" said the
Squire. "We have been as dull as we
could be for the last two months; and
now all of a sudden we are in the midst
of set of dinnefparties."
"Some little bird of the air must have
whispered TO you" said my kindly host
ess, Mrs. Dunno. 'There is a dinner
party tonight, and another tomorrow
night, and another the night after"
81 assure you, Mrs. Dunne," I said
but this was rather my social diplomacy,
for confess to weakness for really
good dinner-parties-"I was looking for
ward to aquiet time with You. 1t has
been all through rapid summer. You
give me very good dinners, and I enjoy
your company beyond any Others"
ave only heard from Monsieur Bert
rand quarter Of an hour ago. We do
not know him very well; 80 we wrote to
say that we should not be able to come,
as we expected a friend to be staying
with us. We had a most polite letter
just now, begging us by all means to
bring our friend; SO you will of course
come with u.s."
"RealIy, Mrs. Dunno, I confess to lik-
ing dinner-parlies, but night after night
is little too much even for me. / don't
zee where l am to burn that midnight
oil which we lawyers are supposed to
consume. l think had better fling one
Of them over, and let it be Monsieur Bert
rand"
"There, my boy, you make a great
mistake. You st nd in your own light.
Neither the Rector nor Lord Lister will
give you so good a dinner as Monsieur
Bertrand" said Dunno.
"Of course we did not send the same
sort Of note to Lord Lister and the Rec
tor" said Mrs. Dunno. ave simply
told them that we should bring you, and
they were both very glad to hear it"
"And who is this Monsieur Bert
randY'
"He is wealthy French gentleman,
who has taken that pretty place, the
Hollows, on the slope of Duneston Hill.
He is very little here, for he travels
ggreat deal Il she is very fond of England,
and says that he loves to have pied
terre' in it. He has greatly improved
the Hollows. If you remember the place
you will be immensely pleased with the
alterations. They are evidently people
who have travelled great deal and seen
excellent society. We don't really care
for madame; but the house is pretty,
and the dinners perfection"
II really think that I must 60 to Mon
sieur Bertrand's."
"That is right. And SO you will to the
others. 1t will be much more social"
So went to the three dinners with
wy kindly host. The RectOr's port was
sound as his orthodox. He has as good
anotion of good things as my Lord Lis
ter. At each house. we had all the good
things of the season. But the Rector
and my lord both gave us the same good
dinner, the regulation dinner-soup, fish,
entrees" joint, game, ETC.; but the
Frenchman had surprises for us in his
entertai ainment He had taken care
to avoid the regulation dinner, and to
give us things that were comparatively
novel and piquant. We had Chablis
and oysters; then we had soup, such as
one does not taste in quarter of CEN
tury; ortolans, capercailzie instead of the
traditional turkey, canvas-back ducks
instead of the "perdrix toujours" Our
host was a keen-looking man with black
hair and sparkling black eyes. A mag
nifcent diamond ring sparkled on his
fore-fnger. His conversation was very
interesting-the conversation of man
who had visited many famous places and
seen many famous people. But still
there was something in the look which
irritated and annoyed me, perhaps in
the restlessness of the eye and the sensu-
ality of the nose and mouth.
"These ortolans are very delicious"
said Lord Lister. "My friend, Lord
Beaconsfeld. makes one of his heroes
say: Let me die eating ortolans, to the
sound Of solemn music"
"A great many people have died very
agreeably while engaged in eating" was
nv own remark. r.-
II remember" said the Rector, "read-
ing dreadful story in one of the period
icals. There was a medical man who
made it a special branch of his profession
to give an euthanasia to the people who
were anxious to depart this life. 1t is the
logical outcome of the modern doctrine
Of pessimism. The guests sat down to a
most magnificent repast, poisons more
or less strong being skillfully mixed
with the viands Occasionly one or two
would get poorly and' leave the room,
and it was noted that they never made
their appearance again."