The Lieutenant and Commander

es, and everything else, but beauty! When a party, such as I have been describing, had passed a certain time together, they seldom broke up

laces were presently filled up by others, who soon found their way to the new

ties of which had so recently been my greatest and most sincere delight. Meanwhile, since my good-natured captain, and still better-natured messmates, made no difficulties about this protracted absenteeism, I continued to involve myself deeper and deeper at every step. I failed not to perceive at times tha

ea that their hospitality, proverbial in all parts of the world, was of a rude and rather troublesome description. I found it, on the contrary, marked not only by the strongest l

oviality I went through in the north of Ireland, I seldom met with anything at a gentleman's table approaching even to exigence on this score. I do not deny that our f

ke deportment of an acquaintance of mine resident on the spot, for whom he had brought a letter. We had walked together to his house, or rather cottage, for he was not a fixed resident, but came there for summer quarters. The neatness, and even elegance, of the domestic arrangements of his temporary establishment, both without and within the dwelling, gave token of a taste many degrees removed from the state of people far back in civilization. Presently the ladies came; and their national frankness, modified by the most entire and unaffected simplicity, puzzled my friend completely. In due

ving knocked the dust off our

was no pressing to eat or drink during dinner; and in process of time the

"he has sent the women out of the w

e setting sun, at that hour illuminating the whole landscape in the gorgeous style peculiar to combined mountain and lake scenery. "Why should we not enjoy this pleasant prospect while

bow-window, and give us some other glasses; also, if

on of claret decanters had not as yet reached that remote district of the empire. Round the margin was placed the necessary accompaniment

e persons, and this one bottle, I remember, just passed round the group twice. As the flavour of the beverage appeared to have become more exquisite at the second turn than at the first, though but a short interval had been allowed to elapse, it seemed odd that another bottle was not instantly called for.

perhaps you would

ttle. This likewise vanished in a trice, and Tim was again summoned. "Bring some more claret," sa

o much so, indeed, that he seemed to be preparing to rise. The following conversation, however, attracted his

he other, "whether you'd l

his master-"what does the boy m

all entirely to-day." And then he whispered something in his master's ear, the words of which we could not distinguish. Th

w; at the bottom of which, however, after some considerable show of hunting, a coupl

e more bottle than I thought; for there was but a dozen when we started from

ry order to leave the room. This he did so soon as he had made a circumbendibus to escape notice, and deposited the basket behind

dentical." Tim's basket well merited a higher eulogium than he had given it; but while his reputation as a judge of wine rose, his character for veracity fell in abou

t he had no notion of being made tipsy by means of a common-place concert between host and butler. He therefore rose to leave the room, expecting, of course, to be forcibly detained, or, at all events, being begged and entreated to sit down again. Not a whit! The wily native merely observed to him that "if he had a mind to admire the prospect, there was still daylight enough to command a view d

went on prosing for a quarter-of-an-hour about Protestant ascendancy, the eternal siege of Derry, the battle of the Boyne, and such like stale topics. At length on

if there had been some electrical communication between his chair and the handle of the door, it opened, and in walked our generous entertainer, exulting in his success, crowing like chanticleer, and bearing in each hand a couple of bottles, clicking against each other; while Tim, with a degree of impudence equalled only by that of his master, substituted clean glasses, of a still more capacious swallow than the first. To these were added two pair of candles which towered high above the jolly crew, and promised to last till another dawn should look in upon our revels. By this time the twilight had almost entirely ebbed away, and was succeeded by that cheerful, aurora

en o'clock, more or less, our host was enchanted almost beyond the power of words by seeing his wine so much relished, and tickled also with the success of his joke, in making his suspicious guest drink jus

ed on his feet, and eyeing the door for a long time before he ventured on the voyage, with a bold determination, and taking a good departure from his chair, he gained his port. He had undoubtedly expected to be lugged back again; for he whisked the tails of his coat out of reach, while, with his other hand on the lock of the door, and swaying himself about from side to side, like a ship in a calm, he stood the very image of tottering equilibrium, as the mathematicians call it. Our adroit landlord, who was not a man to s

"Out with him, man! out with the cork!" cried the host. The loud report which succeeded rang over the apartment like the sweetest music to the souls of the ever thirsty company. Tim's thunder was echoed back by a truly bacchanalian shout, such as nothing on

low; and hang me if ever I distrust

he bottle which the incomparable Tim had so opportunely introduced, the master of the house, s

nough; let's join the l

an, in particular, wished to remain; but our host was inexorable. Meanwhile, Timothy grinned from ear to ear; familiar with his ma

e drawing-room, my comp

ing bullied into drinking more than was agreeable to me; but it turns out," added he

overheard the conclusion of this remark, "you s

ug rooms, which he said were ours,

e connection, according to promise, had not been once out of sight of the house, and had never been asked to drink a bottle, or even a glass, more than he li