It was not long before the guests were all assembled and the feast was
to begin.

Some one rapped for attention, and then Doctor Mack recognized the
voice of his young ward.

"Gentlemen," he said, "I am glad to welcome you to this festal board.
After spending ten or a dozen hours in hard study"--laughter and
applause--"we find it pleasant to close our books, to relax our
learned brows"--more laughter--"and show our appreciation of the good
things of life. As Horace, your favorite, says"--I won't insult you by
offering to translate his well-known words--_"dulce est desipere in
loco_. That is what has brought us here to-night We want to _desipere
in loco._"

"So we do! Good for you!" exclaimed one and another.

"I regret," Walter continued, "that all the professors have declined
my urgent invitation to be present on this occasion. Professor
Griggs"--the professor of mathematics--"said he would not break away
from his regular diet of logarithms and radicals." Great laughter. "I
have expressly requested Mr. Daniels to provide no logarithms to-
night. They don't agree with my constitution."

"Nor with mine!" "Nor with mine!" echoed one and another.

"I shall expect you all, after the banquet, to do something for the
general entertainment. I stipulate, however, that none of the company
address us in Latin or Greek."--"We won't!" "We won't!"--"Sufficient
for the recitation-room is the evil thereof. But I have spoken long