ober than he had last seen him, in the
front drawing-room, which apartment was richly perfumed with powerful
exhalations of rum punch.

'Dhrink this, Puddock--dhrink it,' said O'Flaherty, filling a large
glass in equal quantities with rum and water; 'dhrink it, my sinsare
friend; it will studdy you, it will, upon my honour, Puddock!'

'But--a--thank you, Sir, I am anxious to understand exactly'--said
Puddock. Here he was interrupted by a frightful grin and a '_ha!_' from
O'Flaherty, who darted to the door, and seizing his little withered
French servant, who was entering, swung him about the room by his coat
collar.

'So, Sorr, you've been prating again, have you, you desateful, idle old
dhrunken miscreant; you did it on purpose, you blundherin' old hyena;
it's the third jewel you got your masther into; and if I lose my life,
divil a penny iv your wages ye'll ever get--that's one comfort. Yes,
Sorr! this is the third time you have caused me to brew my hands in
human blood; I dono' if it's malice, or only blundherin'. Oh!' he cried,
with a still fiercer shake, 'it's I that wishes I could be sure 'twas
malice, I'd skiver you, heels and elbows, on my sword, and roast you
alive on that fire. Is not it a hard thing, my darlin' Puddock, I can't
find out.' He was still holding the little valet by the collar, and
stretching out his right hand to Puddock. 'But I am always the sport of
misfortunes--small and great. If there was an ould woman to be handed in
to supper--or a man to be murthered by mistake--or an ugly girl to be
danced with, whose turn was it, ever and always to do the business, but
poor Hyacinth O'Flaherty's--(tears). I could tell you, Puddock,' he
continued, forgetting his wrath, and letting his prisoner go, in his
eager pathos--the Frenchman made his escape in a twinkling--'I was the
only man in our regiment that tuck the mazles in Cork, when it was goin'
among the children, bad luck to them--I that was near dyin' of it when I
was an infant; and I was the only officer in the regiment, when we were
at Athlone, that was prevented going to the race ball--and I would not
for a hundred pounds. I was to dance the first minuet, and the first
country dance, with that beautiful creature, Miss Rose Cox. I was makin'
a glass of brandy punch--not feelin' quite myself--and I dhressed and
all, in our room, when Ensign Higgins, a most thoughtless young man,
said something disrespectful about a beautiful mole she had on her chi