[Illustration: Grandolph and the Wild Turkey.]
Begin to regret dinners on board the _Grantully Castle_. The other
day was regretting the Amphitryon. Don't go so far back as the
Albemarle-Street Amphitryon, quite satisfied with a simple Donald
Currie. [_Mem._--The proverb hath much truth in it that saith, "Go
farther and fare worse."] Sick of chicken. With poetic epigrammacy
might say, "Quite sick Of chick." Stringy chickens, too! One has to
tug at them; sort of game of "poulet-hauly"--as DRUMMY would say.
Though were he here, I doubt if he would say anything. He certainly
would eat nothing: probably would only open his mouth to observe, "I'm
off!" and then we should see him no more. Quite right. So would I--but
for "my oath, my Lord, my oath!" (N.B.--This is a quotation. Sure
of it. Where from? Don't know. Tragedy probably; sounds tragic. No
matter. Can give it with effect in a speech, and Members turn to one
another and ask, "What's that from?" When they ask me confidentially
afterwards, I reply with an air of intense surprise, "What! don't
_you_ know! Well!!" and I turn on my heel, leaving CHUCKLEHEAD, M.P.,
annoyed with himself,--"_planté là_" as DRUMMY would say,--for being
so ignorant, and for having displayed his ignorance so palpably. Off
he goes to British Museum and searches for quotation. This gives him
opportunity of acquiring much useful knowledge, which, but for me,
he would not have had. Rather a long parenthesis this. So--on we goes
again.)