mployed, I believe, with regard to some man who wrote poetry. To meet
an old friend, or a thoroughly tested dish, is always pleasant, but old
friends die or fall out, and old favourite dishes may come to pall at
last; and for this reason I hold that the day which brings us a new
friend or a new dish ought to be marked with white chalk."

"And I think some wise man once remarked," said Sir John, "that the
discovery of a dish is vastly more important than the discovery of a
star, for we have already as many stars as we can possibly require, but
we can never have too many dishes."

"I was wondering whether any one would detect the variations I made
yesterday, but I need not have wondered, with such an expert at table as
Colonel Trestrail," said the Marchesa with a laugh. "Well, the Colonel
has found me out; but from the tone of his remarks I think I may
hope for his approval. At any rate, I'm sure he won't move a vote of
censure."

"If he does, we'll pack him off to town, and sentence him to dine at his
club every day for a month," said Lady Considine.

"What crime has this particular club committed?" said Mrs. Sinclair in a
whisper.

"Vote of censure! Certainly not," said the Colonel, with an angry
ring in his voice. Mrs. Sinclair did not love him, and had calculated
accurately the carrying power of her whisper. "That would be the basest
ingratitude. I must, however, plead guilty to an attack of curiosity,
and therefore I beg you, Marchesa, to let us into the secret of your
latest inspiration."

"Its origin was commonplace enough," said the Marchesa, "but in a way
interesting. Once upon a time--more years ago than I care to remember--I
was strolling about the Piazza Navona in Rome, and amusing myself by
going from one barrow to another, and turning over the heaps of
rubbish with which they were stocked. All the while I was innocently
plagiarising that fateful walk of Browning's round the Riccardi Palace
in Florence, the day when he bought for a lira the Romana homocidiorum.
The world knows what was the outcome of Browning's purchase, but it will
probably never fathom the full effect of mine. How do his lines run?"

"These
I picked the book from. Five compeers in flank
Stood left and right of it as tempting more--
A dog's-eared Spicilegium, the fond tale
O' the frail one of the Flower, by young Dumas,
Vulgarised Horace for the use of schools,
Th