Hawthorne's Brilliant After-dinner Speech

1 reraember we went togetber lo dina at a groat house in tho country, years ago, where it was understood tbere would be no ditiner speeches. The fran'r quet waa in honor of eomo sooietr, Í have quite forgotten what, - but it Was n jocoae and not a serioua olub. The geotleman who gave it, Sir " ' ■, was a most kind and genial persoo, and gathered aboiit bim on thie oooasion somè óf the brightest and best from London. All the way down in the train Hawthorne was rejoioing that this wu tö ba a dlnner without speoh-'making ; ' fof ," said he, ''nothing would tempt nio to go if toasts and suoh confounded defltïy were to be the order of the day." 80 wo rattlcd along, without a iear of any pending cloud of oratory. The entertuinment was a most exquisito one, tbont tweoty gentlemen sitting down at, ttaè' beautifully ornamented table. Hawthorne was in unoommonly good rpiriti; and, having the nest of bonor at the right of bis hoet, was pretty keenly' Bcrntinized by his British brethreD of the quill. He had, of oourse, banished all thought of making, and h'B knees never smote together once, as hei told me afterwards. But it beoame evident to uiy mind that Hawthprne's health was to be propoaed with all thè hoDors. I glanoed kt him aorogs the table, and saw that he was unsuspioiouH of any tnovement against his quiet serenity. SuddeDly and without warning our host rapped the mahogany, and bogan a set speech of weloorae to the "distinguished Amerioan rbmanoer." It was a very bonest and a Tery hearíy speeoh, but 1 dared not look at Hawthorno. I ezpected every moment to see him glide out of the room, or sink down out of sight from bis ohair. The tortures I suffered on Hawthorne's aoeount, dear Jaok, on that oooajioD, I will not atternpt to describe now. I knew notbing would have inJuoed the shy man of letter to tro down to B if he had known ha wíis to be spoken at in that manner. I imagined bis fade á deep crimson, and his hands tremtlmg with nervous horror ; but judge of my surpriso, whea he rose to reply with iö oalm a voice and ao composed a manoer that, iu all my exporieoce of dinnerspeaking, 1 luver witnepsed 8uoh a oarfd of appareot ease. (Easy-Chair O z himaelf, mie of the beat makers of áfterdinuer or any other speeohes of our day, aocording to Charlea Diokena, - do inadequate judge, you will allow, - never surpassed in eloquent effect this ppeech by Hawthorne.) Thero was no hesitation, no sign of laok oí preparation, bot be went on for about ten minutes in itiob. a maaterly maoner, that I declare to you it was one of the most auoceasful t-fforts ef the kind ever made. Everybody waa delighted, and when he gat down, a wild and ananimoua sbout ot applauso rattled tbc glasees oo the table. The meaniug ot' his singular oomposure .on that occasion I could nerer get him eatisfactorily to explain; and the only remark I ever heard bim ftiake, in any way conneoted with thig niarrellous exhibition of coolness, was simply, 'What a confounded fooi I was to go down lo that speech-making dinnef." - trom th Atlantic Moniultw March.