The Argosy — page 319: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Baths of Gastein. 301 Her husband was thin and strong-looking and it remained an unsolved problem which of the two was the invalid. He talked incessantly to his left hand neighbour, now and then remembering his wife by helping her to wine, or vouchsafing a passing remark. It would perhaps become tedious to record the peculiarities of the guests as each appeared in turn. Near me sat a small dark man who reminded me continually of one of the composers, though I never could quite make up my mind which of them. Beyond him came the bear and horror of the table : a slovenly attired man with a round head, an apple red, oily complexion, and prominent brown eyes most terribly out of the direct line: a large, sensual mouth, which took in of every dish at least four times the quantity of any one else at the'table, although its owner was positively as thin as a skeleton. His mode of eating was too coarse to contemplate ; but in this respect how few set him a worthy example ! Knives and forks were held any fashidh. Now five or six pieces of meat would be cut, the knife put down, the fork promoted to single duty. Now the fork would be abandoned, or rested alarmingly in the hand, teeth upwards, and the knife seized upon to do hard work amongst the peas and other vegetables. The plate, cleared and perhaps mopped up with a piece of bread—knife and fork would be thrown into it carelessly, crossed, or at mght angles, or with handles where the blades ought to be. Unlike many other places, here most people sent away their knives and forks, and had the felicity of getting some one else’s, in exchange, warm, and just wiped through with a towel. Be- tween each course tooth-picks came into use, not for a moment, but during the whole period of waiting. The intervals are not short. The hotel people evidently wished to delude the minds of their guests with ideas of elaboration, and so made up in time what was wanted in dishes. Sitting down at one o’clock, you rose up at half past two. Often after waiting the usual quarter of an hour between each course, a dish would be handed round that more than half the room could not touch ; and to avoid the awkwardness of the pause, and to satisfy the cravings of hunger the majority would break bread and sip wine. Here, if anywhere, to quote an old saying from the Borderland, was it possible. to find the grunds o’ your stamick, though certainly without being any the better for it. Vain and delusive was the idea that as visitors increased the dinners would improve. Rather was the progress of a backward tendency, This probably was one reason why Herr Straubinger was as difficult to. catch sight of as the Emperor of China: another reason of course being to keep wisely out of the way of complain&. The fortune he is making must be fabulous as that of a Pacha with two tails, or a Mandarin with nine buttons. He holds there somewhat the position of .a)Despotic monarch, and can make or mar his own laws. ECoOMmicloooks (C(O) nT —_)