After this, the worthy pair commenced preparations for rejoining the waking world, and in due time proceeded downstairs.
Everybody was late that morning, and nothing had got put to rights.

The house looked as if a small army had been quartered in it over night.
The tables were of course in huge disorder, after the protracted assault they had undergone.

There had been a great battle evidently, and it had gone against the provisions.

Some points had been stormed, and all their defences annihilated, but here and there were centres of resistance which had held out against all attacks,--large rounds of beef, and solid loaves of cake, against which the inexperienced had wasted their energies in the enthusiasm of youth or uninformed maturity, while the longer-headed guests were making discoveries of "shell-oysters" and "patridges" and similar delicacies.
The breakfast was naturally of a somewhat fragmentary character.

A chicken that had lost his legs in the service of the preceding campaign was once more put on duty.