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The officer in command of the detachment stopped us, and said that the governor would be glad if we would come to Government House for an hour, while an inquiry was being held. To this we cheerfully consented, of course; and, in a room where punkahs waved and cool claret-cup awaited us, we were received by the governor, who was full of admiration of Mrs. Falchion.

They went back to the house, and to the drawing-room, which wore quite a festive appearance, in honour of Bessie's birthday; ever so many extra candles dotted about, and a table laid with fruit and sandwiches, cake and claret-cup, the children evidently considering a superfluity of meals indispensable to a happy birthday.

Hence, when at twelve o'clock the company began to stream in, they found Mrs. Devine installed behind the barricade of cups, saucers and glasses; and she it was who dispensed tea and coffee and ladled out the claret-cup; thus leaving Mary free to keep an argus eye on her visitors' plates. At his entry Richard had raised expostulating eyebrows; but his tongue of course was tied.

Here was tea, with milk or with lemon-baths of it and claret-cup for the hardier spirits throughout the evening. It was very nice, very pleasant, but it was not the little chicken not the salon. In fact, he affirmed, the salon descended from above, out of the great world, and included the aesthetic world in it.

'It is the greatest cause of the day! he cried, in an eager exalted manner, which somewhat inclined her to laugh. 'Do away with alcohol and you would do away with crime! 'Thank you for the compliment, Gerard; I never found that the infinitesimal drop of alcohol that I suppose there is in a tumbler of claret-cup disposed me to commit crimes. 'Why won't you understand me, Ursula!

Williams the butler is famous for his claret-cup." He murmured something about being not fatigued, but disinclined for conversation. "You will not see any one," she said; "you shall come to my own particular little room, where no one dares enter, and we will have a quiet conversation there." It seemed quite useless to resist her. She had a true siren power of fascination.

"But Zara hasn't really been any good at flowers since her 'mixed bouquet' took first prize at the Flower Show. Of course, though, it looks lovely now it's done." Purdy dropped in during the afternoon and was more useful; he sliced the crusts off loaf-high mounds of sandwiches, and tested the strength and flavour of the claret-cup.

Red wines should never be iced, even in summer. Claret and burgundy should always be slightly warmed; claret-cup and champagne-cup should, of course, be iced. Instead of cooling their wines in the ice-pail, some hosts have of late years introduced clear ice upon the table, broken up in small lumps, to be put inside the glasses.

And Bertie, exhausted with making such a lengthened exposition the speeches he preferred were monosyllabic completed his sins against training with a long draught of claret-cup. "Then what the devil do you mean by telling us to pile our pots on you?" asked the outraged Coldstreamer, with natural wrath. "Faith is a beautiful sight!" said Bertie, with solemnity.

Iced cakes, sandwiches innumerable, coffee, claret-cup, champagne, remained almost intact: their overfed guests could do no more. Leonard refused. Jacky thought she could manage a little. Margaret left them whispering together and had a few more words with Helen. She said: "Helen, I like Mr. Bast. I agree that he's worth helping. I agree that we are directly responsible." "No, indirectly. Via Mr.