Then the folding doors to the dining-room were thrown open and the
real supper was served, to which coffee, biscuit, "old ham," and the
round of beef were merely the appetizers. An emperor of a turkey was
at the head of the table, with another at the foot, and one at each
side scarcely inferior in imperial splendor. There were cold pickled
oysters, and hot oysters, creamed, steamed, fried, stewed, and in
scallop shells. There were great dishes of terrapin, not indeed the
diamond-back of Maryland fame, but the slider, a dry-land terrapin,
an excellent creature when accompanied with the butter, cream, eggs,
sherry, and brandy which are lavished upon him. There were, of course,
more old hams, rounds of beef, and a gigantic saddle of Southdown
mutton, which Major Lindsay himself carved with a magnificent flourish.
The boned turkey was a gem, the work in the case being done by Dr.
Markham, the cheery, pleasant-faced village doctor, who, it was
popularly reported, in getting the bones out of the turkey used the
identical instruments with which he cut off legs and arms. But the
doctor's services being in demand by hostesses at Christmas time, no
prejudice existed against either the boned turkey or the doctor.
There were pigeon-pie, wild ducks, chicken salad, and a few other
incidentals, to be topped off by ices, custards, jellies, and cakes of
innumerable varieties. It took an hour to get through with the supper,
and when the guests had feasted and left the dining-room, there was
still enough left to feed a couple of regiments.
The musicians had had their supper and a glass of apple toddy, and
eggnog in addition, and were ready again with fiddles and "lap
organ" to start the flying feet once more. Betty had more partners
than she could accommodate, and told each one the same story in
various forms, punctuated by a sidelong glance, which was Betty's
own--that she only wished she could dance with him all the evening.
Tom Lindsay, a handsome youngster, who called Betty by her first name
and assumed proprietary rights over her, was encouraged to do so by
this arch-hypocrite of a girl. But in this Betty only followed the
prevailing fashion. All of the university students and young officers
present, except Fortescue, found themselves involved in at least half
a dozen desperate flirtations, which promised to continue during the
whole week, and then never to be heard of again.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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