the brothers rose together, and the one at the top of the table leaning forward towards the other, and speaking in a low voice as if he were addressing him individually, said—
"Brother Charles, my dear fellow, there is another association connected with this day which must never be forgotten, and never can be forgotten, by you and me. This day, which brought into the world a most faithful and excellent and exemplary fellow, took from it the kindest and very best of parents—the very best of parents to us both. I wish that she could have seen us in our prosperity, and shared it, and had the happiness of knowing how dearly we loved her in it, as we did when we were two poor boys—but that was not to be. My dear brother—The Memory of our Mother."
"Good God!" thought Nicholas, "and there are scores of people of their own station, knowing all this, and twenty thousand times more, who wouldn't ask these men to dinner because they eat with their knives and never went to school!"
But there was no time to moralize, for the joviality again became very brisk, and the decanter of port being nearly out, brother Ned pulled the bell, which was instantly answered by the apoplectic butler.
"David," said brother Ned.
"Sir," replied the butler.
"A magnum of the double-diamond, David, to drink the health of Mr. Linkinwater."
Instantly, by a feat of dexterity, which was the admiration of all the company, and had been annually for some years past, the apoplectic butler bringing his left hand from behind the small of his back, produced the bottle with the corkscrew already inserted; uncorked it at a jerk, and placed the magnum and the cork before his master with the dignity of conscious cleverness.
"Ha!" said brother Ned, first examining the cork and afterwards filling his glass, while the old butler looked complacently and amiably on, as if it were all his own property but the company were quite welcome to make free with it, "this looks well, David."
"It ought to, sir," replied David. "You'd be troubled to find such a glass of wine as is our double-diamond, and that Mr. Linkinwater knows very well. That was laid down when Mr. Linkinwater first come, that wine was, gentlemen."
"Nay, David, nay," interposed brother Charles.
"I wrote the entry in the cellar-book myself, sir, if you please," said David, in the tone of a man, quite confident in the strength of his facts. "Mr. Linkinwater had only been here twenty year, sir, when that pipe of double-diamond was laid down."
"David is quite right—quite right, brother Charles," said Ned: "are the people here, David?"
"Outside the door, sir," replied the butler.
"Show 'em in, David, show 'em in."
At this bidding, the old butler placed before his master a small tray of clean glasses, and opening the door admitted the jolly porters and warehousemen whom Nicholas had seen below. There were four in all,
