CHORUS
For Englishmen confront serene whatever them betideth;
And England shall be Ocean's Queen as long as the world
abideth."
What with the drum and the fifes of one of the regiments now at
Stonnington, and the mighty bass of some sea-captains vehement in
chorus, these rough and rolling lines were enough to frighten a thousand
Frenchmen, while proving the vigour of British nerve, and fortitude both
of heart and ear. When people have done a thing well, they know it, and
applaud one another to include themselves; and even the ladies, who were
meant to be unseen, forgot that and waved their handkerchiefs. Then up
and spoke Blyth Scudamore, in the spirit of the moment; and all that he
said was good and true, well-balanced and well-condensed, like himself.
His quiet melodious voice went further than the Lord-Lieutenant's,
because it was new to the air of noise, and that fickle element loves
novelty. All was silence while he spoke, and when he ceased--great
uproar.
"That lad will do," said the Marquis to his supporter on the right hand;
"I was just like him at that age myself. Let me draw this cork--it is
the bottle of the evening. None but my own fellows understand a cork,
and they seem to have got away somewhere. What the doose are they
about--why, halloa, Darling! What's the meaning of all this, at such a
time?"
"Well, my lord, you must judge for yourself," said the Admiral, who had
made his way quietly from the bottom of the table.
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