I now dashed down below, and after the accustomed interchange of question and answer at the barred window in the door, ordered his admission, and proceeded to the guard, which was turned out in the men’s guardroom, to duly ‘present arms’ to the Grand rounds. (I may here remark, that to the sentry’s shout of ‘Guard, turn out’ in the Bank Guard, the response was decidedly Irish, for the guard didn’t turn out at all, in the literal sense of the word, at night, but ‘fell in’ on the stone flags of their guardroom.) The field-officer on this occasion was a Major F——, of a Highland regiment, a jolly, pleasant-looking little man, who evidently enjoyed to the full the good things of this life; and after acknowledging the salute and receiving the report of ‘All correct, sir,’ he desired me to dismiss the guard, and as we left the room, said: ‘I was looking at the bright light in your guardroom window as I came up, and envied you the roaring fire you must have inside, and I daresay a good glass of something hot also. If you don’t mind, I’ll come up and thaw a bit, for it’s snowing hard, and most bitterly cold outside.’ What could I say, but—heaven forgive me—express the pleasure it would give me to do the hospitable; and so, with troubled heart, I bounded up the stairs ostensibly to fetch a candle to light the major up, but really to clear the room of the prisoners, had they left the closet, or, at all events, to warn them of approaching danger if they had not. In either case, I was, however, foiled, as the Grand rounds, though a portly-looking little man, and not active to all appearance, still had the use of his legs, well tried, no doubt, on many a good Highland moor and mountain; and in spite of my knowledge of the staircase, he was in the guardroom close at my heels. It was, however, to all appearance entirely without any occupants save ourselves, and only the remains of the supper looked suspicious. This at once attracted the major; and to his remark that I appeared to have had a party here, I replied loudly, in order to give notice to the prisoners, that some of our fellows had dropped in during the afternoon and had some lunch; that I had had my dinner after they had left, and that my servant had not yet removed the débris; that I dared say there were some oysters still left, and would the major let me get him a few, &c.? which caused the little man’s eyes to twinkle as he toasted himself by the ample fire; and unbuckling his sword, he seated himself in a chair at the table, and fell to without more ceremony, remarking: ‘You are very kind. What Sybarites you —th fellows are! I’ll just take an oyster or two, and qualify with a glass of hot toddy, to keep out the cold of this bitter night.’