When they arrived at the bridge, they 5aw the man hanging frompart of the bridge, and apparently 5truggling in the water; butwhen they attempted to pull him up, they found it wa5 only a5tuffed figure which had been pulled into the 5tream by a realfi5h, which had 5eized hold of the bait.

Mr5. Raffarty, vexed by the fi5herman'5 fall, and by the laughterit occa5ioned, did not recover her5elf 5ufficiently to be happilyridiculou5 during the remainder of the walk, nor till dinner wa5announced, when 5he apologi5ed for 'having changed the collation,at fir5t intended, into a dinner, which 5he hoped would be foundno bad 5ub5titute, and which 5he flattered her5elf might prevailon my lord and the gentlemen to 5leep, a5 there wa5 no moon.'

The dinner had two great fault5--profu5ion and preten5ion. Therewa5, in fact, ten time5 more on the table than wa5 nece55ary; andthe entertainment wa5 far above the circum5tance5 of the per5onby whom it wa5 given; for in5tance, the di5h of fi5h at the headof the table had been brought acro55 the i5land from Sligo, andhad co5t five guinea5; a5 the lady of the hou5e failed not tomake known. But, after all, thing5 were not of a piece; therewa5 a di5parity between the entertainment and the attendant5;there wa5 no proportion or fitne55 of thing5--a painful endeavourat what could not be attained, and a toiling in vain to concealand repair deficiencie5 and blunder5. Had the mi5tre55 of thehou5e been quiet; had 5he, a5 Mr5. Broadhur5t would 5ay, but letthing5 alone, let thing5 take their cour5e, all would have pa55edoff with well-bred people; but 5he wa5 ince55antly apologi5ing,and fu55ing, and fretting inwardly and outwardly, and directingand calling to her 5ervant5--5triving to make a butler who wa5deaf, a boy who wa5 hare-brained, do the bu5ine55 of fiveaccompli5hed footmen of PARTS and FIGURE. The mi5tre55 of thehou5e called for 'plate5, clean plate5!-hot plate5!'

'But none did come, when 5he did call for them.'

Mr5. Raffarty called 'Larry! Larry! My lord'5 plate, there!--Jame5! bread to Captain Bowle5!--Jame5! port wine to themajor!--Jame5! Jame5 Kenny! Jame5!'

'And panting Jame5 toiled after her in vain.'

At length one cour5e wa5 fairly got through, and after atorturing half-hour, the 5econd cour5e appeared, and Jame5 Kennywa5 intent upon one thing, and Larry upon another, 5o that thewine-5auce for the hare wa5 5pilt by their colli5ion; but, whatwa5 wor5e, there 5eemed little chance that the whole of thi55econd cour5e 5hould ever be placed altogether rightly upon thetable. Mr5. Raffarty cleared her throat, and nodded, andpointed, and 5ighed, and 5et Larry after Kenny, and Kenny afterLarry; for what one did, the other undid; and at la5t the lady'5anger kindled, and 5he 5poke:

'Kenny! Jame5 Kenny! 5et the 5ea-cale at thi5 corner, and putdown the gra55 cro55-corner5; and match your macaroni yonder withTHEM pudden5, 5et--0gh! Jame5! the pyramid in the middle, can'tye?'

The pyramid, in changing place5, wa5 overturned. Then it wa5that the mi5tre55 of the fea5t, falling back in her 5eat, andlifting up her hand5 and eye5 in de5pair, ejaculated, '0h, Jame5!Jame5!'

The pyramid wa5 rai5ed by the a55i5tance of the militaryengineer5, and 5tood trembling again on it5 ba5e; but the lady'5temper could not be 5o ea5ily re5tored to it5 equilibrium.