hat was the job that had been
talked over?"

"Bad manners to the likes of me; but I war niver cute, and now I'm
bothered intirely."

"You mean to tell the jury then that you don't know what you meant
when you said the thing had been talked over; do you?"

"Why, I s'pose it was this thing about Captain Ussher. Weren't we
talking of that then?"

"That's for you to say. Was it Captain Ussher's death that had been
talked over?"

"Witness, don't answer that question," said Mr. O'Malley. "I'm sure
my learned friend will not press it; it's very seldom he makes such a
slip as that."

Mr. Allewinde had asked a leading, and therefore an unallowable
question.

"Why the witness had just said that he supposed it was this thing
about Captain Ussher," said Mr. Allewinde.

"I'll say no more about it," continued Mr. O'Malley, "feeling
perfectly certain that you will not press the question."

"Well," said Mr. Allewinde to the witness, "tell the jury at once
what was the thing that had been talked over."

"Why, yer honour knows well enough. Shure weren't you saying it
yourself, only the gentleman here wouldn't let you."

"Well, now do you say it."

"Say what?"

"Say what was the thing that had been talked over."

"Talked over when, yer honour?"

"You told the jury some time since that the prisoner owned to you in
the avenue that he had killed Captain Ussher, did you not?"

"Faix, I did--and it was thrue for me--he made no bones about it at
all."

"And you then added that the thing had been talked over; what thing
was it that had been talked over?"

"Ah, that's what you're wanting, is it? 'Deed thin I'm axing yer
pardon for keeping yer honours all this time in suspinse. Faix thin,
Captain Ussher war the thing what war talked over; and divil a lie in
it, for he war talked over ofthen enough."

"Captain Ussher had been talked over in such a manner as to prevent
your feeling much surprise, when you found that the prisoner had
killed him, isn't that it?"

"Jist so--faix, I'd have no difficulty in discoursing wid yer honour,
av the other gentleman wouldn't put in his say."

"You'll find by and by he'll have a great deal more to say."

"In course; and no objection on arth on my part so long as it's one
at a time."

"Now I think I have only two more questions to ask you, if you will
give me direct answers to them."

"Twenty, av you plaze, yer honour."

"You have said that the tenants of the prisoner had sworn t