omplimented him on his
gallantry, which she said was truly characteristic of his country.

To Sir Felix an encomium from a fair lady was ever irresistible.

He bowed, expressed a commensurate feeling of gratitude for the honour
conferred upon him, and professed himself an ardent admirer of the whole
of women kind; concluding by humming a stanza from Burns,--

"Auld Nature swears the lovely dears
Her noblest work she classes, O;
Her 'prentice han' she tried on man,
And then she made the lasses, O."

Unluckily for the apophthegm of the Baronet, it so happened, that a
quarrel took place in the immediate vicinity and hearing of the party,
between two rival female fruiterers of the Emerald Isle; during which
incivilities were exchanged in language not altogether acceptable to the
auricular organs of delicacy. The brogue was that of Munster,--the
war of words waged quicker and faster; and from invective the heroines
seemed rapidly approximating to actual battle. Neither park-keeper nor
constable were at hand; and although the surrounding mobility "laughed
at the tumult and enjoyed the storm," Sir Felix, much distressed at
so untoward an incident, and deeply interested in the honour of his
country, so lately the theme of elegant panegyric, dashed through the
crowd, the component parts of which he scattered aside like chaff, and
arrested the further progress of the wranglers.

"Arrah, now, for the honour of Munster, be any, ye brats of the devil's
own begetting!"

"Hear him! hear him! hear the umpire!" resounded from all quarters.

"May the devil make hell-broth of ye both, in his own caldron!"

~~267~~~ The mirth of the multitude became now still more obstreperous,
and Tom and Bob pushed forward to the assistance of their friend, who
was in the act of keeping the two viragos apart from each other, having
a hand on each, and holding them at arms length, alternately threatening
and remonstrating, while the two nymphs, with frightful grimaces,
struggled to elude his grasp, and abide the chance of war;--the scene
altogether would have afforded ample scope for the pencil of an artist;
and if not edifying, was at least to a numerous and motley assemblage
of spectators, highly entertaining. Sir Felix declined the assistance of
his friends,--

"Never mind it," said he, "I'll settle the affair myself, my
honies:" and slipping a half-crown piece into the hand of each of
the amazons--"No