's
more staid utterances of a similar character.

Walter thoroughly comprehended the situation, and the reason why such
pains were being taken to draw out his brother; and his satisfaction and
amusement were unbounded at the manifest failure of the effort. The old
lady caught Walter's eye, and divining somewhat of the cause of its
merry twinkle, coloured, and was silent. Her daughter also looked
uneasily across the table, and then exclaimed,--

"Were you at Lady Gambit's garden-party last Tuesday, Mr Walter?"

"No," he replied; "I was not there."

"Then I can tell you that you missed a treat," said the other.

"Why, what was the special attraction?" he asked.

"Oh, everything that you can imagine!"

"Well, I can imagine so many things," said Walter laughing, "that I am
quite sure her ladyship's garden could never have held them all. Pray,
tell me what you yourself thought _the_ attraction _par excellence_."

"Yes, I can do that. You know these garden-parties are generally rather
dull affairs after all."

"What! with those numberless attractions?"

"Yes; one gets weary of them. You know, go where you will, it's the
same thing over and over again."

"But it seems that it was not so in this case."

"No, it was not. Her ladyship, no doubt, wished to make a little
variety, and so she was good enough to provide us with something new."

"Dear me!" cried Walter; "how I should have liked being there! What was
the novelty? Was it a temperance lecture, or a Band of Hope meeting for
the benefit of the old boys and girls of sixty or seventy years of age?
That must have been very lively. Or perhaps it was a Protestant address
against nunneries and monasteries. My brother Amos would have liked to
have had a word on that subject."

"No, no, Mr Walter; you must not be foolish."

"Well, do tell me. I am all anxiety to know what this attractive
novelty was. Not a conjurer? that would have been capital fun."

"No, not a conjurer exactly."

"Well, then, something of the sort?"

"Yes; Lady Gambit had engaged a celebrated mimic--a man, I mean, who can
take off other people to the life."

"Indeed," said Walter. "Perhaps it might have been as well if he had
taken himself off. But, excuse my nonsense; what did he mimic?"

"Oh, all sorts of funny people. We all gathered round him under the
great sycamore tree, and he kept us in peals of laughter for an hour."

"Tell me, please, some of the characters he too