Page:Aunt Jo's Scrap-Bag, Volume 2.djvu/217

Rh beer like a born Englishwoman, and swallowed some of her prejudices with her delicious beef.

"It's such a comfort to know that I am not eating a calf's brains or a pig's feet, that I can enjoy it with a free mind, and the sight of those two beautiful old gentlemen gives it an added relish," said Matilda, who had been watching a pair of hale old fellows eat their lunch in a solid, leisurely way that would have been impossible to an American.

"It is so restful to see people take things calmly, and not bolt their meals, or rush about like runaway steam-engines. It is this moderation that keeps Englishmen so hearty, jolly, and long-lived. They don't tear themselves to pieces as we do, but take time for rest, exercise, food, and recreation like sensible people as they are. It is like reposing on a feather-bed to live here, and my tired nerves rejoice in it," said Lavinia, eating bread and cheese as if that was her mission in life.

"A slight amount of haste will be advisable, my Granny, unless we intend to spend all our substance on these restful comforts of yours. This hotel is delightfully cosey, but expensive; so the quicker we go into lodgings the better for us," suggested the