Ravenshoe. By Henry Kingsley.

MR. SLOANE. 181
" Not yet," he said, " not yet! I'11 try something else befbre I
try to drink my troubles away." And then he plunged into the
Times.
He had no sooner convinced himself that Lord Aberdeen was
tampering with the honor of the country by not declaring war,
than he found himself profoundly considering. what had caused
that great statesman to elope with Adelaide, and whether, in case
of a Russian war, Lady Ascot would possibly convict Father'
Mackworth of having caused it. Then Lady Ascot came into
the room with a large bottle of medicine and a Testament, announcing that she was going to attend a sick gun-boat. And
then, just as he began to see that he was getting sleepy, to sleep
he went, fast as a top.
Half an hour's sleep restored him, and dinner made things look
different. "After all," he said, as he sipped his wine, " here is
only the world on the one side and I on the other. I am utterly
reckless, and can sink no further. I will get all the pleasure out
of life that I can, honestly; for I am an honest man still, and
mean to be. I love you, Madame Adelaide, and you have used
me worse than a hound, and made me desperate. If he marries
you, I will come forward some day, and disgrace you. If you
had only waited till you knew everything, I could have forgiven
you. I'll get a place as a footman, and talk about you in the
servants' hall. All London shall know you were engaged to me."
"Poor, dear, pretty Adelaide; as if I would ever hurt a hair
of your head, my sweet love! Silly- "
The landlord came in. There was most excellent company in
the smoking-room. Would he condescend to join them?
Company and tobacco! Charles would certainly join them;
so he had his wine carried in.
There was a fat gentleman, with a snub nose, who was a Conservative. There was a tall gentleman, with a long nose, who
was Liberal. There was a short gentleman, with no particular
kind of nose, who was Radical. There was a handsome gentleman, with big whiskers, who was commercial; and there was a
gentleman with bandy legs, who was horsy.
I strongly object to using a slang adjective, if any other can be
got to supply its place; but by doing so sometimes one avoids a
periphrasis, and does not spoil one's period. Thus, I know of no
predicate for a gentleman with a particular sort of hair, complexion, dress, whiskers, and legs, except the one I have used
above, and so it must stand.
As Providence would have it, Charles sat down between the
landlord and the horsy man, away from the others. He smoked
his cigar, and listened to the conversation.
The Conservative gentleman coalesced with the Liberal gen