Burns, I
did!"

"What are you two laughing at, my sister?"

"Why, here is Mr. Burns making love to me at breakfast, and before night
he will be abusing me for not pouring enough rum in his punch!"

"That's his caractur, Madame Nathalie; for I, Tom Stewart, am the only
person he ever loved, and he sometimes offers to shoot me for giving him
unco' good advice."

"Howld yer tongue, ye divil ye! and you too, Stingo, or the pair of ye
shall niver taste another sip of the old claret. Ye've ruined me cause
entirely! But I'll lave ye me property, madame, when I'm gone."

"He's been talking of going, Nathalie," said Piron, "for the last twenty
years, and has left his estate to at least thirty women, to my certain
knowledge; but he hasn't got off yet, and--"

"Tom Stewart, ye miserable limb of the law! make out me will this very
night."

Jacob Blunt unclosed his salt-junk mouth, and roared out in a peal of
laughter that would have shivered his old brig's spanker, and caused,
perhaps, Martha Blunt, sposa, to have spanked him, Jacob, had she heard
and seen that mariner wagging his old bronzed face at the lovely woman
facing him.

Mr. Tiny Mouse, who could not touch bottom on his high chair, with his
little heels dangling about, forgetful of discipline, fairly kicked the
broad pennant on the shins of his white ducks, screaming joyously; the
three women made the piazza vibrate with their musical trills; Stingo
and Stewart choked; Cleveland and Darcantel were amused; and old black
Banou looked at his master, and grinned till his double range of teeth
seemed like a white wave breaking at the cove. And then Paddy Burns took
up the chorus, and after one or two Galway yells his friends took him
up, thumped him smartly on the back, and stood him up against one of the
posts of the piazza to have his laugh out. When he did, however, recover
the power of speech, he wiped his eyes and looked around till they
rested on Madame Nathalie, when, with his white napkin held up like a
shield beside his rubicund visage, he spluttered,

"By me sowl, Tom Stewart, I mane what I say; and Paddy Burns's word is
his bond!"

Ay, and so it was, you generous, whole-souled Milesian! And you did this
time make a will. Tom Stewart and Stingo witnessed it, with handsome
legacies therein set forth; and when one night you tumbled down--Well,
we won't mention the particulars; but Paddy kept his word.

As the party rose from the breakfast table to get read