as as much
as to say--makin' his own fun before the strangers--that I ought to
boil my very wig to plaise him--my front, I mane, 'maybe,' says he, 'you
have oxtail.' Well, flesh and blood could hardly bear that, and I said
it was a scandal for him to treat an industrious, un-projected widow in
such a way; 'if you want a dinner, Mr. Gray,' says I, 'I can give you
and your friends a jacketful of honest corned beef and greens.' Well, my
dear--"

At this insinuating expression of tenderness, old Ned, aware, for the
first time, that she was a widow, and kept that most convenient of
establishments, an eating-house, cocked his nightcap, with great spirit
and significance, and with an attempt at a leer, which, from the
force of habit, made him look upon her rather as the criminal than the
accuser, he said--"It was scandalous, Mrs. Mulroony; and it is a sad
thing to be unprotected, ma'am; it's a pity, too, to see sich a woman as
you are without somebody to take care of her, and especially one that id
undherstand swindlin'. But what happened next, ma'am?"

"Why, my dear--indeed, I owe you many thanks for your kindness--you
see, my dear,"--the nightcap here seemed to move and erect itself
instinctively--"this fellow turns round, and says to the other four
skips--'Gentlemen,' says he, 'could you conde--condescend,' I think it
was--yes--'could you condescend to dine upon corned beef and greens?
They said, not unless it would oblige him; and then he said it wasn't to
oblige him, but to sarve the house he did it. So, to make a long story
short, they filled themselves with my victuals, drank seven tumblers
of punch each, kept playin' cards the whole night, and then fell a
fightin'--smashed glass, delft, and everything; and when it was mornin',
slipped out, one by one, till I caught my skip here, the last of them--"

"Scamp, Mrs. Roony; a gentleman scamp, known to every one as a most
respectable character on town."

"When I caught him going off without payment, he fairly laughed in my
face, and offered to toss me."

"Oh, the villain!" said Ned; "I only wish I had been there, Mrs.
Mulroony, and you wouldn't have wanted what I am sorry to see you do
want--a protector. The villain, to go to toss such a woman--to go
to take such scandalous liberties! Go on, ma'am--go on, my dear Mrs.
Mulroony."

"Well, my dear, he offered, as I said, to toss me for it--double or
quits--and when I wouldn't stand that, he asked me if I would allow
him