Page:Pontoppidan - Emanuel, or Children of the Soil (1896).djvu/146

 He expressed the hope that the circle he saw around him, all of the same party, "and also the peace of the congregation," might never be broken, and ended by heartily thanking the guests for the pleasure of their company.

Immediately afterwards, one of the tall, heavily-built landowners rose, and expressed in fluent terms the thanks of the company to the Provst for his richly blessed activity in the parish. For a moment there was a danger of his touching upon some of the serious questions which the Provst had passed lightly over, by his throwing out a remark as to the "levelling tendencies of the age," against which the Provst was so powerful a bulwark. But sticking fast at this point, as if the flow of his words had come to an end, he concluded abruptly by proposing the health of the Provst and Miss Ragnhild.

After the company had again risen and touched glasses, the spirits rose considerably; and when at last the sweet course—a mighty plum-pudding—was put flaming upon the table, the satisfaction broke out into general mirth.

But now Aggerbölle's evil moment had arrived. Plum-pudding was one of his favourite dishes, and the decanters of heating wines also began to circulate. Then he was so unfortunate as to have a very bad example opposite to him, in the fat little Squire, who, during the whole meal, sat with the same peevish air, "gorging like a tapeworm"—as Aggerbölle later expressed himself—with all