would trouble her for the loan of two feather beds, and three or four
buckets of turf; as he thought that after laying between them for an
hour or so before a roaring fire, and then being rubbed down with
flannels by Tony and his two men, there was little doubt but he'd be
able to ride 11 stone 4; and he was to be up at that weight on the
next day.

Keegan had become very drunk and talkative, had offered to sing two
or three songs, to make two or three speeches, and had ultimately
fallen backwards, on his chair being drawn away, from which position
he was unable to get up, and little Larry's brother was now amiably
engaged painting his face with lampblack. Mrs. Keegan the while was
sitting in her cold, dark, little back parlour, meditating the awful
punishment to be visited on the delinquent when he did return home.

Vain woman, there she sat till four, while Hyacinth lay happy beneath
the table; nor did he return home, till brought on the waiter's back,
at eight the next morning.

Pat was winking with his one eye, and nodding on his chair, with
his pipe still stuck in his mouth. Little Larry was laughing till
he cried at his brother's performance. Peter Dillon and young
Fitzpatrick, each with a whiskey bottle in his hand, were guarding
the door, at which Stark, the unfortunate owner of Crom-a-boo,
was vainly endeavouring to make his exit, which he was assured he
should not be allowed to do till he had sung a song standing on the
sideboard. And the younger son of Mars, conquered by tobacco and
whiskey, was leaning his unfortunate head on the table, and deluging
Keegan's feet with the shower which he was unable to restrain.

Ussher was detailing in half drunken glee to his friend Fred Brown,
George's brother, his plan for carrying off poor Feemy; and Brown,
always as he said, ready to help a friend in necessity, was offering
him the loan of his gig to take her as far as Longford, at which
place he could arrive in time to catch the mail, if he could manage
to take Feemy away from Ballycloran immediately after sunset. "And
I'll send a boy to bring the gig back from Longford," added Fred, "so
you'll have no trouble at all; and I'll tell you what it is, you're
taking the prettiest girl out of County Leitrim with you--so here's
her health."

Tony, Nicholas Blake, and Greenough were the only three left who
were still able to drink steadily, and they kept at it till about
four, when they all agreed, that if they meant to