Crane
arrived he was found to be attired in a dress composed partly of Mr.
Puffington's and partly of the Muggeridge Hunt uniform--the red coat of the
former surmounting the white shorts and black stockings of the other.
Altogether, however, they were uncommonly smart, and it is to be hoped that
they appreciated each other.
The dinner was sumptuous. Puff, of course, was in the chair; and Captain
Guano coming last into the room, and being very fond of office, was vice.
When men run to the 'noble science' of gastronomy, they generally outstrip
the ladies in the art of dinner-giving, for they admit of no makeweight, or
merely ornamental dishes, but concentrate the cook's energies on sterling
and approved dishes. Everything men set on is meant to be eaten. Above all,
men are not too fine to have the plate-warmer in the room, the deficiency
of hot plates proving fatal to many a fine feast. It was evident that Puff
prided himself on his table. His linen was the finest and whitest, his
glass the most elegant and transparent, his plate the brightest, and his
wines the most costly and _recherche_.
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