[Illustration]
WELL, we've bin a going on much as usual at our grand old Manshun House
under our trewly liberal LORD MARE, but I ain't had nothink werry new to
tell about, till a few nites ago, when we had what I can truthfully call
a reel staggerer, and no mistake. It seems as it's allers the custon,
when a Embassadore, who has made hisself werry poplar, is gitting jest a
leetle tired of us, and begins to si for Ome sweet Ome, for the
principalest Gent in London to give him sitch a grand Bankwet as he
ain't never seen afore, and ain't never likely for to see again. So the
LORD MARE, hearing as the French Embassadore was in that werry dellicate
sitiwation, arsked about three hundred of the most heminent Gents in all
London to come to the Manshun House to meet him, and they all came, as
in course they wood do, and that was one of the werry grandest Bankwets
as regards silly brated Gests as ewen I ewer had the honner of waiting
on.
And now for the staggerers! Just to begin with, why the French
Embassadore is no more a Frenchman than I am! for his name it's
WODDINGTON, and so was his Father's before him, and strange to say,
thanks, I spose, to the splendid dinner, _et setterer_, as was guv him,
he acshally told us as he rowed in the Winning Boat at the Uniwersity
Boat-race at Putney, ewer so many years ago! Werry like a Frenchman,
suttenly, or, as I should prefer saying, werry like a Whale! Of course
all the Gents present, being reel Gents, looked quite as if they
beleeved it all; but, when he afterwards went on to say that his Grate
Grandfather took his most religious and grayshus Majesty, KING CHARLES
THE SECOND, right up into the Hoak Tree, and so saved his preshus life,
I saw sum two or three of the werry hiest on 'em trying in wain to look
quite serious, as if they bleeved it all; and one werry smart young
feller near me said to his friend, "Why not call it the Hoax Tree"? I
didn't kno quite what he meant, but they both had a quiet larf over it.
[Illustration: "Robaire" à la mode de Parry.]
He gave us a few more staggerers, but not quite equal to the King
Charles one, and of course we coud all make allowances for him, as it
was his last chance in such a party as that was. But he made up for it
all before he left, by speaking of the Grand Old Copperation as one of
the werry noblest bodys in the world, and as having made its mark in the
history of this great Country, and how artily he hoped it would continue
and flurrish for ever! I don't suppose as there was any county
counsellers among so distingwisht a Body, or I should like to know what
they thort of the Embassadore's opinion of us! An I'm thinkin of wizitin
Parry myself and cummin out strong. And wy not? They tell me it will
make me kwite young again, for I shall go over there a helderly henglish
waiter and reappear in Parry as a "garsong" which is french for "a young
man."