Meantime, how had Toad-in-the-hole happened to hear of this great work of art so early in the morning? He had received an account by express, dispatched by a correspondent in London, who watched the progress of art On _Toady's_ behalf, with a general commission to send off a special express, at whatever cost, in the event of any estimable works appearing--how much more upon occasion of a _ne plus ultra_ in art! The express arrived in the night-time; Toad-in-the-hole was then gone to bed; he had been muttering and grumbling for hours, but of course he was called up. On reading the account, he threw his arms round the express, called him his brother and his preserver; settled a pension upon him for three lives, and expressed his regret at not having it in his power to knight him. We, on our part--we amateurs, I mean--having heard that he was abroad, and therefore had _not_ hanged himself, made sure of soon seeing him amongst us. Accordingly he soon arrived, knocked over the porter on his road to the reading-room; he seized every man's hand as he passed him--wrung it almost frantically, and kept ejaculating, "Why, now here's something like a murder!--this is the real thing--this is genuine--this is what you can approve, can recommend to a friend: this--says every man, on reflection--this is the thing that ought to be!" Then, looking at particular friends, he said--"Why, Jack, how are you? Why, Tom, how are you? Bless me, you look ten years younger than when I last saw you." "No, sir," I replied, "It is you who look ten years younger." "Do I? well, I should'nt wonder if I did; such works are enough to make us all young." And in fact the general opinion is, that Toad-in-the-hole would have died but for this regeneration of art, which he called a second age of Leo the Tenth; and it was our duty, he said solemnly, to commemorate it. At present, and _en attendant_--rather as an occasion for a public participation in public sympathy, than as in itself any commensurate testimony of our interest--he proposed that the club should meet and dine together. A splendid public dinner, therefore, was given by the club; to which all amateurs were invited from a distance of one hundred miles.