" We saw this and so, during the
first two courses, talked sotto voce to one another," and made no
attempt to open up communications.
With the third course, however, there was a new arrival in the person
of a portly gentleman of about fifty-five, or from that to sixty, who
was told to sit at the head of the table, and accordingly did so.
This gentleman had a decided manner and carried quite as many guns as
the two barristers (for barristers they were) who sat opposite to us.
He had rather a red nose, he dined maigre because he had to, but he
did not like it. I do not think he dined maigre often. He had
something of the air of a half, if not wholly, broken-down blackguard
of a gambler who had seen much but had moved in good society and been
accustomed to have things more or less his own way.
This gentleman, who before he went gave us his card, immediately
opened up conversation both with us and with our neighbours,
addressing his remarks alternately and impartially to each. He said
he was an Italian who had the profoundest admiration for England. I
said at once -
"Lei non puo amare l'Inghilterra piu che io amo ed ammiro l'Italia."
The Manning-Parry barrister looked up with an air of slightly
offended surprise. Conversation was from this point carried on
between both parties through the Italian who acted, as Gogin said
afterwards, like one of those stones in times of plague on which
people from the country put their butter and eggs and people from the
town their money.
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