FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132  
133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   >>   >|  
than to speer wha gave it the name of cockie-leekie." "More properly pronounced, _coq a lecher_," said the inexorable Dean. "The dish is a French one." "Did ever any one hear the like?" exclaimed Sir Andrew, utterly confounded by the assertion. "I confess, Sir Andrew," said Linton, "it's rather hard on Scotland. They say you stole all your ballad-music from Italy, and now they claim your cookery for France!" "The record," said the Attorney-General, across the table, "was tried at Trim. Your Lordships sat with the Chief Baron." "I remember perfectly; we agreed that the King's Bench ruled right, and that the minor's claim was substantiated." Then turning to Mrs. Kennyfeck, who out of politeness had affected to take interest in what she could not even understand a syllable of, he entered into a very learned dissertation on "heritable property," and the great difficulties that lay in the way of defining its limits. Meanwhile "pipeclay," as is not unsuitably styled mess-table talk, passed among the military, with the usual quizzing about regimental oddities. Brownrigg's cob, Hanshaw's whiskers, Talbot's buggy, and Carey's inimitable recipe for punch, the Dean throwing in his negatives here and there, to show that nothing was "too hot or too heavy" for his intellectual fingers. "Bad law! Mr. Chief Justice," said he, in an authoritative tone. "Doves in a cot, and coneys in a warren, go to the heir. With respect to deer--" "Oh dear, how tiresome!" whispered Mrs. White to Cashel, who most heartily assented to the exclamation. "What's the name o' that beastie, young gentleman?" said Sir Andrew, who overheard Cashel recounting some circumstances of Mexican life. "The chiguire,--the wild hog of the Caraccas," said Cashel. "They are a harmless sort of animal, and lead somewhat an unhappy life of it; for when they escape the crocodile in the river, they are certain to fall into the jaws of the jaguar on land." "Pretty much like a member o' the Scotch Kirk in Ireland," said Sir Andrew, "wi' Episcopaalians on the tae haun, and Papishes on the tither. Are thae creatures gude to eat, sir?" "The flesh is excellent," broke in the Dean. "They are the _Cavia-Capybara_ of Linnaeus, and far superior to our European swine." "I only know," said Cashel, abruptly, "that _we_ never eat them, except when nothing else was to be had. They are rancid and fishy." "A mere prejudice, sir," responded the Dean. "If you taste
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132  
133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Andrew
 

Cashel

 

fingers

 

intellectual

 

recounting

 
gentleman
 
overheard
 

Caraccas

 
chiguire
 

Mexican


circumstances

 

beastie

 
coneys
 

tiresome

 
warren
 

whispered

 
exclamation
 
respect
 

Justice

 

assented


heartily

 

authoritative

 

superior

 

European

 

Linnaeus

 

excellent

 

Capybara

 

abruptly

 

prejudice

 

responded


rancid

 
creatures
 

jaguar

 

crocodile

 

escape

 
animal
 

unhappy

 
Pretty
 

Papishes

 
tither

Episcopaalians
 

Scotch

 
member
 
Ireland
 

harmless

 

cookery

 
France
 

record

 
General
 

Attorney