miserably because his attempts were ineffectual. The only lady in
the hall was one who had fallen short of absolute and perfect
beauty, merely by the trifling defect of a slight cast in her left
eye. But this blemish, minute as it was, so shocked the pure ideal
of her soul, rather than her vanity, that she passed her life in
solitude, and veiled her countenance even from her own gaze. So the
skeleton sat shrouded at one end of the table, and this poor lady at
the other,

One other guest remains to be described. He was a young man of
smooth brow, fair cheek, and fashionable mien. So far as his
exterior developed him, he might much more suitably have found a
place at some merry Christmas table, than have been numbered among
the blighted, fate-stricken, fancy-tortured set of ill-starred
banqueters. Murmurs arose among the guests as they noted, the
glance of general scrutiny which the intruder threw over his
companions. What had he to do among them? Why did not the skeleton
of the dead founder of the feast unbend its rattling joints, arise,
and motion the unwelcome stranger from the board?

"Shameful!" said the morbid man, while a new ulcer broke out in his
heart. "He comes to mock us! we shall be the jest of his tavern
friends I--he will make a farce of our miseries, and bring it out
upon the stage!"

"O, never mind him!" said the hypochondriac, smiling sourly. "He
shall feast from yonder tureen of viper-soup; and if there is a
fricassee of scorpions on the table, pray let him have his share of
it. For the dessert, he shall taste the apples of Sodom, then, if
he like our Christmas fare, let him return again next year!"