p him."

"Throth, Toal, I must say there's a great deal o' thruth in that. Divil
a one livin' knows me betther than Toal Finigan, sure enough, boys."

"Arra, Art, do you remember the day you crossed the weir, below Tom
Booth's," pursued Toal, "when the river was up, and the wather jist
intherin' your mouth?"

"That was the day Peggy Booth fainted, when she thought I was gone;
begad, an' I was near it."

"The very day."

"That may be all thrue enough," observed Tom Whiskey; "still I think
I know Art this many a year, and I can't say I ever seen any of these
great doing's. I jist seen him as aisy put from a thing, and as much
afeard of the tongues of the nabors, or of the world, as another."

"He never cared a damn for either o' them, for all that," returned
Toal; "that is, mind, if he tuck a thing into his head; ay, an' I'll go
farther--divil a rap ever he cared for them, one way or other. No, the
man has no fear of any kind in him."

"Why, Toal," said Mooney, "whether he cares for them or not, I think is
aisily decided; and whether he's the great man you make him. Let us hear
what he says himself upon it, and then we'll know."

"Very well, then," replied Toal; "what do you say yourself, Art? Am I
right, or am I wrong?"

"You're right, Toal, sure enough; if it went to that, I don't care a
curse about the world, or all Ballykeerin along wid it. I've a good
business, and can set the world at defiance. If the people didn't want
me, they wouldn't come to me."

"Come, Toal," said Jerry; "here--I'll hould you a pound note"--and lie
pulled out one as he spoke--"that I'll propose a thing he won't do."

"Aha--thank you for nothing, my customer--I won't take that bait,"
replied the other; "but listen--is it a thing that he can do?"

"It is," replied Jerry; "and what's more, every man in the room can do
it, as well as Art, if he wishes."

"He can?"

"He can."

"Here," said Toal, clapping down his pound. "Jack Mooney, put these in
your pocket till this matther's decided. Now, Jerry, let us hear it."

"I will;--he won't drink two tumblers of punch, runnin'; that is, one
afther the other."

"No," observed Art, "I will not; do you want me to break the pledge?"

"Sure," said Jerry, "this is not breaking the pledge--it's only for a
wager."

"No matther," said Art; "it's a thing I won't do."

"I'll tell you what, Jerry," said Toal, "I'll hould you another pound
now, that I do a thing to-night that Art won't do; a