“So he brought us over to his own house, and ordered us bread and cheese and a posset; for it was Friday, an' we couldn't touch mate. He, in the mane time, sat an chatted along wid us. The thievin' cook, however, in makin' the posset, kept the curds to herself, except a slight taste here and there, that floated on the top; but she was liberal enough of the whey, any how.
“Now I had been well trained to fishing in my more youthful days; and no gorsoon could grope a trout wid me. I accordingly sent the spoon through the pond before me wid the skill of a connoisseur; but to no purpose—it came up wid nothin' but the whey.
“So, said I off hand to the gintleman, houlding up the bowl, and looking at it with a disappointed face,
'Apparent rari nantes in gurgite vasto.'
'This,' says I, 'plase your hospitality, may be Paotolus, but the divil a taste o' the proper sand is in the bottom of it.'
“The wit of this, you see, pleased him, and we got an excellent treat in his studium, or study: for he was determined to give myself another trial.
“'What's the wickedest line in Virgil?' said he.
“Now I had Virgil at my fingers' ends, so I answered him:
'Flectere si nequeo superos, Aeheronta movebo,'
“'Very good,' said he, 'you have the genius, and will come to somethin' yet: now tell me the most moral line in Virgil.'