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Oyster Coquilles with Celery

Cut a well-trimmed and cleaned stalk of fine, crisp white celery into quarter-inch square pieces and boil in a pint of water with half teaspoon salt for thirty-five minutes. Thoroughly drain, and keep one and a half gills of the celery broth. Mix in a saucepan one tablespoon butter with two tablespoons flour; briskly stir while heating for one minute; pour in the one and a half gills celery broth, adding one gill cream. Season with half teaspoon salt, two saltspoons paprika and saltspoon grated nutmeg. Mix well and let gently simmer for twenty minutes. Plunge twenty-four large, fresh-opened oysters with their liquor into a half pint water and boil for five minutes. Drain, add the oysters and celery to the sauce, with a half gill of the liquor; lightly mix, then evenly divide the preparation in six table shells. Sprinkle over them two tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, place the shells on a tin, then set in the oven for ten minutes or till of a nice golden colour. Remove and serve. N. B. Unless otherwise mentioned, a tablespoon flour means about a "level," not a "heaping," tablespoonful.