the lock, I contrived to blow out the candle, as if it was the
wind.

'"What a draught there is here," said I; "but just step in, and I'll go
for a light."

'He did as he was bid; but instead of finding himself on my beautiful
little carpet, down he went fourteen feet into the hay at the bottom. I
looked down after him for a minute or two, and then called out--

"'As I am doing the honours of Newgate, the least I could do was to show
you the drop. Good-night, Dan! but let me advise you to get a little
farther from the door, as there are more coming."

'Well, sir, when they missed Dan and me out of the room, two or three
more stood up, and declared for bed also. The first I took up was
Ffrench, of Green Park; for indeed he wasn't a cute fellow at the best
of times; and if it wasn't that the hay was so low, he'd never have
guessed it was not a feather-bed till he woke in the morning. Well, down
he went. Then came Eyre; then Joe M'Mahon--two-and-twenty stone--no
less! Lord pity them!--this was a great shock entirely! But when I
opened the door for Tom Burke, upon my conscience you'd think it was
Pandemonium they had down there. They were fighting like devils, and
roaring with all their might.

'"Good-night, Tom," said I, pushing Burke forward. "It's the cows you
hear underneath."

'"Cows!" said he. "If they 're cows, begad they must have got at that
sixty-three gallons of poteen you talked of; for they're all drunk."

'With that, he snatched the candle out of my hand and looked down into
the pit. Never was such a sight seen before or since. Dan was pitching
into poor Ffrench, who, thinking he had an enemy before him, was hitting
out manfully at an old turf-creel, that rocked and creaked at every
blow, as he called out--

'"I'll smash you! I'll ding your ribs for you, you' infernal scoundrel!"

'Eyre was struggling in the hay, thinking he was swimming for his life;
and poor Joe M'Mahon was patting him on the head, and saying, "Poor
fellow! good dog!" for he thought it was Towzer, the bull-terrier, that
was prowling round the calves of his legs.

'"If they don't get tired, there will not be a man of them alive by
morning!" said Tom, as he closed the door. "And now, if you 'll allow me
to sleep on the carpet, I'll take it as a favour."

'By this time they were all quiet in the parlour; so I lent Tom a couple
of blankets and a bolster, and having locked my door, went to bed with
an easy mind and a quiet conscienc