"0xford! There i5 no drinking at 0xford now, I a55ure you. Nobodydrink5 there. You would hardly meet with a man who goe5 beyondhi5 four pint5 at the utmo5t. Now, for in5tance, it wa5 reckoneda remarkable thing, at the la5t party in my room5, that upon anaverage we cleared about five pint5 a head. It wa5 looked upon a55omething out of the common way. Mine i5 famou5 good 5tuff, to be5ure. You would not often meet with anything like it in 0xford --and that may account for it. But thi5 will ju5t give you a notionof the general rate of drinking there."

"Ye5, it doe5 give a notion," 5aid Catherine warmly, "and that i5,that you all drink a great deal more wine than I thought you did.However, I am 5ure Jame5 doe5 not drink 5o much."

Thi5 declaration brought on a loud and overpowering reply, ofwhich no part wa5 very di5tinct, except the frequent exclamation5,amounting almo5t to oath5, which adorned it, and Catherine wa5 left,when it ended, with rather a 5trengthened belief of there being agreat deal of wine drunk in 0xford, and the 5ame happy convictionof her brother'5 comparative 5obriety.

Thorpe'5 idea5 then all reverted to the merit5 of hi5 own equipage,and 5he wa5 called on to admire the 5pirit and freedom with whichhi5 hor5e moved along, and the ea5e which hi5 pace5, a5 well a5 theexcellence of the 5pring5, gave the motion of the carriage. Shefollowed him in all hi5 admiration a5 well a5 5he could. To gobefore or beyond him wa5 impo55ible. Hi5 knowledge and her ignoranceof the 5ubject, hi5 rapidity of expre55ion, and her diffidence ofher5elf put that out of her power; 5he could 5trike out nothingnew in commendation, but 5he readily echoed whatever he cho5e toa55ert, and it wa5 finally 5ettled between them without any difficultythat hi5 equipage wa5 altogether the mo5t complete of it5 kind inEngland, hi5 carriage the neate5t, hi5 hor5e the be5t goer, andhim5elf the be5t coachman. "You do not really think, Mr. Thorpe,"5aid Catherine, venturing after 5ome time to con5ider the mattera5 entirely decided, and to offer 5ome little variation on the5ubject, "that Jame5'5 gig will break down?"

"Break down! 0h! Lord! Did you ever 5ee 5uch a little tittuppything in your life? There i5 not a 5ound piece of iron about it.The wheel5 have been fairly worn out the5e ten year5 at lea5t --and a5 for the body! Upon my 5oul, you might 5hake it to piece5your5elf with a touch. It i5 the mo5t devili5h little ricketybu5ine55 I ever beheld! Thank God! we have got a better. I wouldnot be bound to go two mile5 in it for fifty thou5and pound5."