The jokes, however, passed over, and no suspicion seemed to attach to
me. I was just congratulating myself on my escape, when a servant came
in, saying, that the gentleman who had slept on the sofa in the
drawing-room, had left his watch under one of the pillows. My repeater
was in his hand.
"What!" said the inquisitive gentleman, "did any gentleman sleep on the
sofa?"
"Soho! soho! a hare - a hare!" cried the old gentleman with the flexible
nose.
I could not avoid acknowledging the watch, and was rising in great
confusion, when a boisterous old squire who sat beside me, exclaimed,
slapping me on the shoulder, "'Sblood, lad! thou'rt the man as has seen
the ghost!"
The attention of the company was immediately turned to me; if my face
had been pale the moment before, it now glowed almost to burning. I
tried to laugh, but could only make a grimace; and found all the
muscles of my face twitching at sixes and sevens, and totally out of
all control.
It takes but little to raise a laugh among a set of fox-hunters. There
was a world of merriment and joking at my expense; and as I never
relished a joke overmuch when it was at my own expense, I began to feel
a little nettled.
