to behold her new acquaintance of that afternoon, the
little old man who had inquired her residence. A most rueful expression
sat upon his visage, and he carried upon one arm a huge basket. The
friendly light enabled him soon to reach the end of his journey; he
entered the little room without ceremony, and depositing his burden upon
the table, exclaimed--

"Hark'ee, child, I am an old soldier, am not apt to grumble at trifles,
[_illegible word_] and blunderbusses! I never before got into such a
snarl.--Mounting the ramparts of the enemy was mere child's play to it!"
Here he began to take out the contents of the basket, meanwhile keeping
up a running commentary, during which his countenance wore an expression
of the most intense ill-humor, in strange contrast with the evident
benevolence of his character and intentions. He found fault with
everything which he had brought, although, in truth, the articles were
all of excellent quality.

"Here," said he, with a growl of dissatisfaction--"is a pair of
chickens--starved, skinny imps, for which I paid double their value to
that knave of a poultry merchant--bah! And here are some French rolls,
that I'll be sworn are as hard as the French cannon balls that were
thrown at Austerlitz. These vegetables are well enough, and this pastry
hath a savory smell, but pistols and cutlasses! this wine _looks_ as
sour as General Grouty's face on a grand parade. Let me draw the cork
and taste--no, by the nose of Napoleon! it is excellent--fit for the
great Frederick himself. Here, child, haste and spread a cloth, for I am
hungrier than a Cossack. Powder and shot! we shall have a supper fit for
a Field Marshal!"

By this time the eccentric but kind old man had placed upon the table
all the materials of an excellent and substantial repast. This done, he
turned to the grandfather of Fanny, who had listened to his speech with
much astonishment, and exclaimed--

"Cheer thee up, old friend, cheer thee up, and pick a bone with us;
here, wash the cobwebs from thy throat by a hearty draught from this
flask. I am an old soldier, and love all men; I stand on no ceremony; so
fall to, fall to!"

Saying this, he seated himself at the table, and having seen that all
were duly supplied with a liberal portion of the edibles, commenced the
attack with [_illegible word_] truly surprising. Nor were the others at
all backward in emulating so good an example. The grandfather, whose
illness had mainly been p