Rambles about Portsmouth. Sketches of persons, localities, and incidents of two centuries: principally from tradition and unpublished documents. By Charles W. Brewster.

88 RAMBLES ABOUT PORTSMOUTH.
on that evening was of such remarkable brilliancy that she
had tried the experiment of reading, by its aid, the fine
print of a pocket Bible.
While commenting upon this curious story, supper, was
announced as in readiness, and proving excellent in quality
as it was abundant in quantity, was fully enjoyed. A song
or two succeeded, mingled with expressions of gratification
at the pleasant evening they had passed, when the company
prepared to depart for their homes; but encount-ering in
the passage a portion of the party from out of town, and
recognizing a couple of their school-boy friends of a few
years previous, they accepted an invitation to remain and
participate in the dance about to commence above-stairs,
for which a colored professor of the violin had been included among the arrangements of the landlord. A further
addition was made to their number in the person of a younggentleman, who came to the hotel to return a conveyance
procured there for an excursion to Boston.
The ceremony of introduction being over, the dancing
commenced with great spirit; the unexpected accession
of so many young gentlemen, in providing them with part-.
ners,. proving highly acceptable to the young ladies, who
bad previously been in a decided majority.. They had not
long enjoyed their exciting amusement, when an odor of
onions became perceptible in the room, and imagining that
it proceeded from the culinary regions below stairs, the
doors leading into the entry were closed. Instead of
diminishing the perfume, however, it rather increased, until
it became quite overpowering. The person who seemed
the most annoyed by it was the young gentleman from
Boston, and while he was endeavoring to ascertain its
cause, a sudden light broke upon him which caused his,
exit, for a season, from the room.
His excursion to Boston had been a combination oF
business and pleasure, and among many commissions. hle