other, with a cool but humorous kind of
gravity; "troth, then it's disgrace I'd bring on my taicher if I
couldn't sit a saddle an' handle a whip with the best o' them. And wid
regard to the neck, sir, many a man has escaped a worse fall than one
from the box or the saddle."

Norton drew himself up with a highly indignant scowl, and turning his
frown once more upon this most impertinent menial, encountered a look
of such comic familiarity, easy assurance, and droll indifference, as
it would not be easy to match. The beau started, stared, again pulled
himself to a still greater height--as if by the dignity of the attitude
to set the other at fault--frowned more awfully, then looked bluster,
and once more surveyed the broad, knowing face and significant laughing
eyes that were fixed upon him--set, as they were, in the centre of a
broad grin--after which he pulled up his collar with an air--taking
two or three strides up and down with what he intended as aristocratic
dignity--

"Hem! ahem! What do you mean, sir?"

To this, for a time, there was no reply; but there, instead, were the
laughing fascinators at work, fixed not only upon him, but in him,
piercing him through; the knowing grin still increasing and gathering
force of expression by his own confusion.

"Curse me, sir, I don't understand this insolence. What do you mean? Do
you know who it is you treat in this manner?"

Again he stretched himself, pulled up his collar as before, displaying a
rich diamond ring, then taking out a valuable gold watch, glanced at
the time, and putting it in his fob, looked enormously big and haughty,
exclaiming again, with a frown that was intended to be a stunner--after
again pacing up and down with the genuine tone and carriage of true
nobility--

"I say, sir, do you know the gentleman whom you are treating with
such impertinence? Perhaps you mistake me, on account of a supposed
resemblance, for some former acquaintance of yours. If, so, correct
yourself; I have never seen you till this moment."

There, however, was the grin, and there were the eyes as before,
to which we must add a small bit of pantomime on the part of Morty
O'Flaherty, for such was the servant's name, which bit of pantomime
consisted in his (Morty's) laying his forefinger very knowingly
alongside his nose, exclaiming, in a cautious and friendly voice
however,

"Barney, achora, don't be alarmed; there's no harm done yet. You're safe
if you behave yourself."