s wine
he recovered his spirits, and seemed tolerably happy. Indeed he
conducted himself wonderfully well, considering that during the whole
evening Fred and George would talk of nothing but trepanned skulls,
false knee-caps--cork legs--bullets that had come out of men's
backs ten years after they had entered men's bellies--surgeon's
knives--pincers and tourniquets--wills--attorneys--leaden coffins,
and the family vault. George expressed a great desire to go and see
his parent shot. Fred said that eight o'clock was so damnation early,
or else he'd be happy. George was so warm in his solicitude, that
in spite of his father's declining this mark of his affection, he
insisted on attending him to the ground; and it was only when Major
Longsword gravely assured him that if he, George, was there he, Major
Longsword, would not be there too, that the anxious son was prevailed
on to give up his project.

The affair was to come off in the County Roscommon, about a mile and
a half from Carrick, at the edge of a small copse, about a mile on
the left-hand side of the Boyle road. A message had been conveyed
to Doctor Blake to be near the spot with the different instruments
that had been so freely named on the previous evening. At the hour
appointed, the military Major and his friend arrived in the Brown
Hall chariot, and a few minutes afterwards the ex-military Major and
his man appeared on the Counsellor's car. Had any one walked about
the ground with very scrutinising eyes, he might have espied Doctor
Blake snugly ensconced under a bank with a cigar in his mouth, and a
small mahogany box lying at his feet.

The carriages had been left a few hundred yards distant, and the two
servants, well knowing what was going to happen, discussed cosily and
leisurely the chance they either of them had of carrying home a dead
master.

"Faix, Barney," said the Brown Hall whip, "I believe we stand a
baddish chance; they do be saying the Counsellor's mighty handy with
the powdher; would you plaze to try a blast this cowld morning?" and
he handed him his pipe.

"And thank ye kindly too, Dan; it's a mighty cowld place. Why thin
it's thrue for you,--the masther is handy with the powdher; more
power to his elbow this morning."

"But whisper now, Barney, did he iver shoot many now to your knowing?
did he shoot 'em dead? I wonder whether Mr. Fred will be keeping on
the chariot; he's more taste in the gig way, I'm fearing."

"Why thin, the Counsel