But Private VAN WINKLE remained awake—­to his best interests!

* * * * *

ROBERT ON MATRIMONY.

Well, we’re jest about going it, at the reel “Grand Hotel,” we are.  We had jest about the werry lovliest wedding here, larst week, as I ewer seed, ewen with my great xperiense.  Such a collekshun of brave-looking men and reel handsum women as seldom meets together xcept on these most hintresting occashuns.  And as good luck wood have it, jest as we was in the werry wirl and xcitement of it all, who should come in to lunch but the same emminent yung Swell as cum about a munth ago.  And he had jest the same helegant but simple lunch as before, with a bottle of the same splendid Champane, as before, and he didn’t harf finish it, as before, and not a drop of what he left was wasted, as before; and so, when he paid me his little account, he arsked me if many of the werry bewtifool ladies, as I had told him of when he came larst, had been to the “Grand” lately, so the bold thort seized, me, and I says to him, “Yes, your ——­ ——­, there’s jest a nice few of ’em here now, and if you will kindly foller me up to our bewtifool Libery, and will keep your eyes quite wide open as you gos along, you will see jest about a hole room full of ’em.”

[Illustration]

So I took him parst the grand room in which the Wedding Gests was assembled, and there sure enuff, he seed such a collection of smiling bewty, as ewidently made a great impression on his——­ ——­’s Art, and one speshally lovely Bridesmade gave him a look, as he passed by, as ewidently went rite thro it.  I scarcely xpecs to be bleeved wen I says, as his ——­ ——­’s cheeks quite blusht with hadmirashun, and he turned round to me and says, says he, “Ah, Mr. ROBERT, if there was many such reel lovely angels as that a flying about, I rayther thinks as I shood be perswaded to turn a Bennedictus myself.”  I didn’t at all know what he meant, but I thort as it was werry credittable to him.  We got quite a chatting arterwards in the Libery, of course I don’t mean to say as I forgot for a moment the strornary difference atween us, but he had werry ewidently been werry much struck by the lovely Bridesmade, for he says, “Mr. ROBERT,” says he, “what’s about the rite time for a man to marry?”

Of course I was reglar staggered, but I pulls myself together, and I says, without not no hesitashun, “Jest a leetle under 30, your ——­ ——­, for the Gent, and jest a leetle over 20 for the Lady, and then the Gent gits just about 10 years advantage, which I thinks as he’s well entitled to.”  At which he larfs quite hartily, and he says, “Why that wood keep me single for another ten years—­but I will think it over;” and, strange to say, jest as we passed again by the room as the Bridal party was in, the same lovely Bridesmade happend to be near the door, so they coud both have a good look at each other, and a hansum cupple they was, if ever I seed one.  And when his ——­ ——­ wished me good day, which he did, quite in a frendly way, he added, with his most bewtifool smile, “Ten years, MR. ROBERT, seems a long time to wait for such a sweet angel as that!”