io, and seeing that the pale
youth did not even take his billycock off, but spread his elbows out on
the front ledge and clapped his hands with terrific vehemence, and
shouted "Anchore" as loudly as he could, Mr. Bumpkin, in imitation,
clapped his hands and said "Hooroar!"

It was glorious. The waiter came and exchanged winks with the pale boy,
and brought some soda-and-brandy and a cigar. Mr. Bumpkin wondered more
and more. It was the strangest place he had ever heard of. It seemed so
strange to have smoking and drinking. But then he knew there were things
occurring every day that the cleverest men could not account for: not
even Mr. Slater, the schoolmaster at Yokelton, could account for them.

Just in front of the two friends was another pew, a very nice one that
was, and for some little time it was unoccupied. Presently with a great
rustling of silks and a great smell of Jockey Club, and preceded by one
of the servants of the establishment, entered two beautiful and
fashionably dressed ladies of extremely quiet (except the Jockey Club)
and retiring demeanour. They could not but attract Mr. Bumpkin's
attention: they so reminded him of the Squire's daughters, only they
dressed much better. How he would like Nancy to see them: she was very
fond of beautiful gowns, was Nancy.

"I wonder who they be?" whispered Bumpkin.

"I don't know," answered Horatio; "I'll ask as soon as I get a chance.
It's the Archbishop's pew; I believe they are his daughters."

"Wouldn't ur ha come wi em?" said Bumpkin.

"He generally does, but I suppose he can't get away to-night."

At this moment a waiter, or as Bumpkin called him a pew opener, was
passing, and Horatio whispered something in his ear, his companion
looking at him the while from the corner of his eyes.

"The one on the right," whispered the waiter, untwisting the wire of a
bottle of sodawater, "is the Countess Squeezem, and the other is Lady
Flora, her sister."

Bumpkin nodded his head as much as to say, "Just see that: high life,
that, if you like!"

And really the Countess and Lady Flora were as quiet and unassuming as if
they had been the commonest bred people in the world.

Now came forward on the stage a sweet young lady dressed in yellow satin,
with lovely red roses all down the front and one on the left shoulder,
greeted by a thunder of applause. Her voice was thrilling: now it was at
the back of the stage; now it was just behind your ear; now in the