urage; Pratt
suffered from poverty, and now told himself that he must be bored by his
friend's affairs; lastly, Trevor had come down to his old home thinking
it would be a bower of roses, and it was as full of thorns, as it could
possibly be.

The dinner had been a failure. At every turn the influence of Mrs
Lloyd was perceptible, and proof given that so far she had been sole
mistress of the house.

"By the way, Vanleigh, try that claret," said Trevor, in the course of
the dinner. "Lloyd, the claret to Captain Vanleigh."

The Captain tasted it, and set down his glass.

Pratt took a glass, and made a point of drinking it.

Trevor saw there was something wrong.

"Bring me that claret," he said.

The butler poured him out a glass of very thin, poor wine.

Lloyd was then proceeding to fill Sir Felix's glass, but he declined.

"I thought we had some good old claret," said Trevor, fuming.

"Yes, sir," said the butler.

"Fetch a bottle directly," exclaimed Trevor. "Really, gentlemen, I am
very sorry," he continued, as the butler went out of the room. "It's a
mistake. Here, Robert, what champagne's that?"

The footman brought a bottle from the ice-pail.

"Why, confound it all!" cried Trevor, "I said the dry Clicquot was to be
brought--such fools!"

"Mr Lloyd did get out the Clicker, sir; but Mrs Lloyd said the second
best would do, sir," replied the footman, glad of an opportunity to
change the responsibility.

"Then all the wine is of the ordinary kind?" said Trevor.

"Yes, sir," said the footman.

"Look here, Lloyd," said Trevor, as the butler came into the room, "you
made a mistake about that claret. See that the other wine is right; and
if not, change it."

The butler looked aghast and hurried out, to return in a few minutes
with a basket of bottles, which he changed for those already in the
room.

Trevor said no more, but he was evidently making up his mind to suppress
the mutiny with a high hand on the morrow; for, as the dinner went on,
he became aware that in many little things his orders had been departed
from. There was a paucity of plate, when an abundance lay in the
chests; the dinner was good, by stretching a point, but not such as
would please men accustomed to the _chefs_ of Pall Mall; and when at
last the coffee was brought in it was of the most economical quality.

"There," said Trevor, "I'll set all right to-morrow, I'm very sorry,
Vanleigh; but things are all sixes and sevens