is nose.

When the guests were made tolerably comfortable, and their hosts had
sufficiently insisted on their considering themselves at home, the
lady of the house disappeared for a few minutes to give some hasty
orders in the kitchen, to the execution of which, sudden cacklings of
various feathered tribes in the court-yard bore conclusive testimony.

When she returned, Uncle Lorincz invited Menyhert and nephew Sandor to
his own sitting-room, to smoke a pipe with him. Before reaching the
apartment, however, it was necessary to pass through several doors, at
each of which a scuffle ensued with nephew Sandor, who could not be
prevailed on to enter before Uncle Lorincz. There was a cheerful fire
in the open stove, with a large wood-basket beside it; comfortable
arm-chairs were ranged around, and the pipe-stand stood forth
invitingly with its many silver-covered meerschaums.

"Pray sit down," said Uncle Kassay, rolling out the arm-chairs, and
showing his guests a good example.

Gulyasi seated himself opposite; but Sandor could by no means think of
such a thing.

"He is not accustomed to much sitting," observed his father.

"Well, well, let him do as he likes," said Uncle Lorincz, leaving him
to stand like a propping-post against the wall; for he was not aware
that our nephew required to have the chair pulled under him, and to be
forcibly pushed into it, before his modesty would allow him to accept
such an offer.

"Take a pipe," said Uncle Lorincz, handing to him the tobacco-bag. The
youth declined.

"Much obliged," said his father for him; "Sandor does not smoke." He
did smoke, however; but was too well brought up to let strangers see
that he knew anything of the comforts of life.

Uncle Lorincz and his guest were soon engaged in an interesting
conversation, by which it appeared that Menyhert had his own ideas,
and ventured to express them too, in the absence of his better half,
and uninfluenced by the motions of her nose.

He declared, in the first place, that it would be much more prudent to
make steam-horses to draw boats instead of steam-boats, and there
would be no risk of the boats being blown up if the boiler burst. Then
he remarked that it would be advisable to propose at the next Diet a
prohibition of the cultivation of potatoes, as the increase of this
article in the market would be highly prejudicial to the growth and
sale of wheat.

Then he uttered imprecations against the new system of pasturage,