I bowed, and his lordship bowed in reply, and said light and pleasant
things about our meeting. Then, vowing he was monstrous hungry, he tackled
the venison pasty, summoning me to sit opposite him.

"Gadso! I am sharp-set," he said, and indeed he ate with the zeal of a
plough-lad. He pushed me over his snuff-box, which nearly made me sneeze
before I took the snuff.

"It really is a masterpiece," he said, in a pause between pasty and pie.
"I shall never hear the last of it at the 'Cocoa Tree' and White's. Stap
me, I shan't want to! It's too good. The tale will keep my memory green
when that old mummy, Newcastle, is dust at last."

"What tale?" said I.

"D'ye know why, a month ago, I badgered Newcastle into getting me a
company in the Blues?"

"Not the faintest idea!"

He leaned across the table and, from under cover of me, nodded towards
Master Freake, now talking with the Welsh-man. "To get out of his way!" he
whispered.

I looked incredulous, whereupon his lordship tapped his pocket
significantly.

"He's a damned good fellow. He gave me another six months without a
murmur. Wish I'd known! There'd have been no campaigning for me. I prefer