It was the only solace which he allowed himself; the only distraction from the cares of office which he permitted either to his body or his mind.

But on this great occasion his country required that he should forget his comforts; and he drank his tasteless tea, and ate his uncooked eggs, threatening the waiter as he did so with sundry pains and penalties, in the form of sixpences withheld.
'Is the fly there ?' said he, as he bolted a last morsel of cold roast beef.
'Coming, sir,' said the waiter, as he disappeared round a corner.
In the meantime Alaric sat lackadaisical on his bedside, all undressed, leaning his head upon his hand, and feeling that his struggle to dress himself was all but useless.

The sympathetic boots stood by with a cup of tea--well-drawn comfortable tea--in his hand, and a small bit of dry toast lay near on an adjacent plate.
'Try a bit o' toast, sir,' said boots.
'Ugh!' ejaculated poor Alaric.
'Have a leetle drop o' rum in the tea, sir, and it'll set you all to rights in two minutes.' The proposal made Alaric very sick, and nearly completed the catastrophe.

'Ugh!' he said.
'There's the trap, sir, for Mr.Neverbend,' said the boots, whose ears caught the well-known sound.
'The devil it is!' said Alaric, who was now stirred up to instant action.

'Take my compliments to Mr.Neverbend, and tell him I'll thank him to wait ten minutes.' Boots, descending with the message, found Mr.Neverbend ready coated and gloved, standing at the hotel door.