Dicken's works . ey callhim, is a very old frequenter of Bellamys; muchaddicted to stopping after the House is up (aninexpiable crime in Janes eyes), and a completewalking reservoir of spirits and water. The old Peer — or rather, the old man — for hispeerage is of comparatively recent date — has ahuge tumbler of hot punch brought liini; and theother damns and drinks, and drinks and damns andsmokes. Members arrive every moment in a greatbustle to report that The Chancellor of the Ex-chequers up, and to get glasses of brandy-and-water to sustain them during the division; peoplewho have ordered s
Dicken's works . ey callhim, is a very old frequenter of Bellamys; muchaddicted to stopping after the House is up (aninexpiable crime in Janes eyes), and a completewalking reservoir of spirits and water. The old Peer — or rather, the old man — for hispeerage is of comparatively recent date — has ahuge tumbler of hot punch brought liini; and theother damns and drinks, and drinks and damns andsmokes. Members arrive every moment in a greatbustle to report that The Chancellor of the Ex-chequers up, and to get glasses of brandy-and-water to sustain them during the division; peoplewho have ordered supper, countermand it, and pre-pare to go downstairs, when suddenly a boll isheard to ring with tremendous violence, and a cry 232 SKETCHES BY BOZ. of Di-vi-sion ! is heard in the passage. This isenough; away rush the members pell-mell. Theroom is cleared in an instant; the noise rapidlydies away; you hear the creaking of the last booton the last stair, and are left alone with the levia-than of CHAPTER XIX. PUBLIC DINNERS. All public dinners in London, from the LordMayors annual banquet at Guildhall, to the Chim-ney-sweepers anniversary at White Conduit House ;from the Goldsmiths to the Butchers, from theSheriffs to the Licensed Victuallers; are amusingscenes. Of all entertainments of this description,however, we think the annual dinner of some publiccharity is the most amusing. At a Companys din-ner, the people are nearly all alike — regular oldstagers, who make it a matter of business, and athing not to be laughed at. At a political dinner,everybody is disagreeable, and inclined to speechify— much the same thing, by the by ; but at a charitydinner you see people of all sorts, kinds, anddescriptions. The wine may not be remarkablyspecial, to be sure, and we have heard some hard-hearted monsters grumble at the collection; but wereally think the amusement to be derived from theoccasion, sufficient to counterbalance even thesedisadvantages. Let us suppose
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