But one evening, when we were sitting over our wine, after one of our club dinners, and all had been hearty together,--Lowborough giving us mad toasts, and hearing our wild songs, and bearing a hand in the applause, if he did not help us to sing them himself,--he suddenly relapsed into silence, sinking his head on his hand, and never lifting his glass to his lips;--but this was nothing new; so we let him alone, and went on with our jollification, till, suddenly raising his head, he interrupted us in the middle of a roar of laughter by exclaiming,--'Gentlemen, where is all this to end ?--Will you just tell me that now ?--Where is it all to end ?' He rose.
'"A speech, a speech!" shouted we.

"Hear, hear! Lowborough's going to give us a speech!" 'He waited calmly till the thunders of applause and jingling of glasses had ceased, and then proceeded,--"It's only this, gentlemen,--that I think we'd better go no further.

We'd better stop while we can." '"Just so!" cried Hattersley-- "Stop, poor sinner, stop and think Before you further go, No longer sport upon the brink Of everlasting woe." '"Exactly!" replied his lordship, with the utmost gravity.

"And if you choose to visit the bottomless pit, I won't go with you--we must part company, for I swear I'll not move another step towards it!--What's this ?" he said, taking up his glass of wine.
'"Taste it," suggested I.
'"This is hell broth!" he exclaimed.

"I renounce it for ever!" And he threw it out into the middle of the table.
'"Fill again!" said I, handing him the bottle--"and let us drink to your renunciation." '"It's rank poison," said he, grasping the bottle by the neck, "and I forswear it! I've given up gambling, and I'll give up this too." He was on the point of deliberately pouring the whole contents of the bottle on to the table, but Hargrave wrested it from him.