Two Hundredth, as
many of them kept their places and went on with their guzzling, with a
determination worthy of a much better cause. But it was occasionally
observed, after all, for there were a few who had been overcome by the
heat of the bibulatory conflict, and who had relapsed into partial
helplessness in chairs around the walls; and there were others who began
to stagger and talk thickly at the counter, growing obscure and maudlin
in their oaths, and shaking hands altogether too often, indicating the
sleepy stage as very soon to follow.

As the two friends and their conductor passed up-stairs, they noticed
two officers in somewhat loud conversation, not far from the landing and
near the door of a side-room, on the handle of the door of which one of
them held his hand a portion of the time. Without any effort, some of
the words of their conversation could easily be heard; and Smith and
Brown, who had no more than the average of that creditable delicacy
which hears nothing intended only for other ears, caught some words
which will bear setting down here as affording an additional clue to the
state of discipline.

"That," said Woodruff, giving Smith a nudge as they came to the head of
the stairs, speaking in a low tone, and pointing to the taller of the
two men, who stood with his side-face presented at the moment,--"that is
Colonel Crawford; and the other, the shorter man, is Captain Lowndes,
who has been recruiting for the regiment at the Park. If I was in better
odor with the Colonel, I would introduce you; but come on."

Smith and Jones did _not_ "come on" at the instant, and what they caught
from the two officers was the following:

"Not _one_ in a week?" asked the Colonel, in a tone mingling surprise
and anger. "Not one? D--n it!"

"I am sorry to say, not one," was the reply of Captain Lowndes. "They
nearly all sing the same tune, however."

"Well, it won't do for _us_, you know!" said the Colonel. "Another
review, and by some officer who was not a d--d lawyer blockhead, might
be awkward!" Colonel Crawford either forgot, at that moment, that he had
any connection with the legal profession, or he chose to ignore the
fact; and it is not to be supposed that his subordinate reminded him of
it. "We must have a paragraph in the to-morrow morning," he went on,
naming an influential daily, "giving the regiment another 'blow.' If it
does not get us any recruits, it will at least make the thing look
better at Alba