"Egscuse me, sir," says he, "but it's impawsable. We can't dine twenty
at that table--not if you set 'em out awinder, we can't."

"What's to be done?" asked Fitzroy, in an agony; "they've all said
they'd come."

"Can't do it," said the other; "with two top and bottom--and your table
is as narrow as a bench--we can't hold more than heighteen, and then
each person's helbows will be into his neighbor's cheer."

"Rosa! Mrs. Gashleigh!" cried out Timmins, "come down and speak to this
gentl--this--"

"Truncheon, sir," said the man.

The women descended from the drawing-room. "Look and see, ladies," he
said, inducting them into the dining-room: "there's the room, there's
the table laid for heighteen, and I defy you to squeege in more."

"One person in a party always fails," said Mrs. Gashleigh, getting
alarmed.

"That's nineteen," Mr. Truncheon remarked. "We must knock another hoff,
Ma'm." And he looked her hard in the face.

Mrs. Gashleigh was very red and nervous, and paced, or rather squeezed
round the table (it was as much as she could do). The chairs could not
be put any closer than they were. It was impossible, unless the convive
sat as a centre-piece in the middle, to put another guest at that table.

"Look at that lady movin' round, sir. You see now the difficklty. If
my men wasn't thinner, they couldn't hoperate at all," Mr. Truncheon
observed, who seemed to have a spite to Mrs. Gashleigh.

"What is to be done?" she said, with purple accents.

"My dearest mamma," Rosa cried out, "you must stop at home--how sorry I
am!" And she shot one glance at Fitzroy, who shot another at the great
Truncheon, who held down his eyes. "We could manage with heighteen," he
said, mildly.

Mrs. Gashleigh gave a hideous laugh.

*****

She went away. At eight o'clock she was pacing at the corner of the
street, and actually saw the company arrive. First came the Topham
Sawyers, in their light-blue carriage with the white hammercloth and
blue and white ribbons--their footmen drove the house down with the
knocking.

Then followed the ponderous and snuff-colored vehicle, with faded gilt
wheels and brass earl's coronets all over it, the conveyance of the
House of Bungay. The Countess of Bungay and daughter stepped out of the
carriage. The fourteenth Earl of Bungay couldn't come.

Sir Thomas and Lady Gulpin's fly made its appearance, from which issued
the General with his star, and Lady Gulpin in yellow satin. The Rowdys'
b