“‘That, gentlemen,’ I replied, ‘I trust time will tell’

“‘I shall be very proud—­I speak it not, I hope, in a worldly sense,’ said a little thin man dressed in black—­’no, not in a worldly sense I shall be proud, sir, of your acquaintance.  To me it is quite sufficient that you are here as the friend of my excellent friend, Mr. Valentine M’Clutchy; a man, I trust, not without a deep and searching spirit of—­’

“‘Come, Solomon,’ said a large, broad-shouldered man, with a face in which were singularly blended the almost incompatible principles of fun and ferocity, ’Come, Solomon, none of your preaching here so soon—­you know you’re not up to the praying point yet, nor within four tumblers of it.  So, as you say yourself, wait for your gifts, my lad.’

“‘Ah, Tom,’ replied Solomon with a smile, ’alway’s facetious—­always fond of a harmless and edifying jest.’

“‘My name, sir,’ added he, ’is M’Slime; I have the honor to be Law Agent to the Castle Cumber property, and occasionally to transact business with our friend M’Clutchy.’

“Here the waiter entered with a glass and tumbler, and Phil desired them to shove me up the decanter.  This, however, I declined, as not being yet sufficiently accustomed to whiskey punch to be able to drink it without indisposition.  I begged, however, to be allowed to substitute a little cold sherry and water in its stead.

“‘I’m afeard, sir,’ observed another strong-looking man, ’that you are likely to prove a cool Orangeman on our hands.  I never saw the man that shied his tumbler good for much.’

“‘Sir,’ said Solomon, ’you need not feel surprised at the tone of voice and familiarity in which these persons address you or me.  They are, so to speak, sturdy and independent men, who, to the natural boldness of their character, add on such occasions as this, something of the equality and license that are necessarily to be found in an Orange Lodge.  I am myself here, I trust, on different and higher principles.  Indeed it is from a purely religious motive that I come, as well as to give them the benefit of a frail, but not, I would hope, altogether unedifying example.  Their language makes me often feel now much I stand in need of grace, and how good it is sometimes for me to be tempted within my strength.  I also drink punch here, lest by declining it I might get into too strong a feeling of pride, in probably possessing greater gifts; and I need not say, sir, that a watchful Christian will be slow to miss any opportunity of keeping himself humble.  It is, then, for this purpose that I sometimes, when among these men, make myself even as one of them, and humble myself, always with an eye to edification even to the fourth or fifth cup.’

“’But I trust, sir, that these Christian descents from your vantage ground are generally rewarded.’