dinner-party, certainly. But you can cheer up, Mr. CULCHARD, here comes a
couple of belated _Banquos._ My gracious; I _do_ like that girl's face--she
has such a perfectly lovely expression, and looks real superior too!

_Culch._ (_who has just dropped his glasses into his soup_). I--ah--which
lady are you referring too? (_He cleans and adjusts his glasses--to
discover that he is face to face with_ Miss HYPATIA PRENDERGAST.) Oh ...
I--I see--precisely, quite so! (_He turns to_ BELLERBY _to cover his
confusion and avoid meeting_ Miss PRENDERGAST'S _eye_.) I _beg_ your
pardon, you were describing how you caught a tunny? Pray continue.

_Mr. Bellerby_ (_stiffly_). Excuse me, I don't seem fortunate enough to
have secured your undivided attention.

_Culch._ (_with intense interest_). Quite the contrary, I assure you! You
were saying you always ordered it out of economy?

_Mr. B._ Pardon _me_--I was saying nothing of the sort. I was saying that I
told the Manager I knew that was why he _thought_ I ordered it--a rather
different thing! "You're quite wrong," I said. "You may pay
twopence-halfpenny a pound for it, and charge me half-a-crown, if you like,
but I mean to _taste_ that tunny!" I was determined not to be done out of
my tunny, Sir!

_Culch._ (_breathlessly_). And what did the tunny--I mean the Manager--say
to _that_?

_Mr. B._ Oh, made more difficulties--it wasn't to be got, and so on. At
last I said to him (very quietly, but he saw I was in earnest), "Now I tell
you what it _is_--I'm going to _have_ that tunny, and, if you refuse to