up in the kingdom! Only three men
in England can make it. However, Melange is one of the three. The
edible nests[B] and the Strasburg livers?'

'Quite safe, sir.'

'The potted char, and the Scotch laver? The limes, and the olives, and
the dravolinas?'

'Tout est a merveille, monsieur.'

'Then how have my medicines fared?'

'They were put in the boot with the ginger, the parmesan, the Westphalia
hams, and the reindeer tongues,' said Melange.

'Now then, come down and see if the colchicum sherry, l'eau medicinale,
gout mixture, cogniac, vespetro, noyau, and old Jamaica are safe.'

Melange examined, and reported, 'Perfectly safe, sir.'

'And the lachryma christi, Hermitage hock, and tokay, with the West
India sweetmeats?'

'All right.'

'Well, 'tis an untoward business enough, but it might have been worse,
nephew,' said Mr. Clairmont, consoled to think all his hampers were in a
sound state.

'True, sir,' replied Sir William, 'infinitely worse. You have escaped
broken bones, and out of four horses have lost only one.'

'Then are all the rest safe and sound, coachman?' asked his master.

'Quite well, sir, only terribly frightened, like some of us,' replied
the man, smiling on one side of his face, and blushing as well as he
could on the other, 'but life is sweet to us all, and who would not have
run away from that frightful beast?' looking at the tiger.

'What a beautiful animal it was!' said Mr. Stanhope to William.

'Very beautiful indeed, sir,' replied William, 'and if I were rich I
would buy its coat, and make a present of it to mother for a hearthrug.'

'A very good thought, my boy,' said Mr. Clairmont, 'and you shall have
it, if it is to be sold.'

'Are you the proprietor of this unfortunate animal?' said the baronet.

'I am, sir,' said one of the three men who were standing guard over the
dead tiger, and waiting for an opportunity to ask the baronet for the
loan of a cart to convey it to the town where their caravan was waiting.

'What do you ask for the skin?' demanded Mr. Clairmont.

The man named his price, and the demand, though somewhat exorbitant, was
complied with, greatly to the satisfaction of the two youths, who were
anxious to have it in the family as a memento of this, to them,
important day. Sir William then ordered the tiger to be conveyed to the
butchery, and uncoated preparatory to the operation the currier would
have to perform on the skin previous to its exhibition in the
din