devilish
eccentric fellow who held a command in the Austrian service?"

"Oh, Considine, the count?"

"The same."

"As eccentric as ever; I left him on a visit with my uncle. And Boyle,--did
you know Sir Harry Boyle?"

"To be sure I did; shall I ever forget him, and his capital blunders, that
kept me laughing the whole time I spent in Ireland? I was in the house when
he concluded a panegyric upon a friend, by calling him, 'the father to the
poor, and uncle to Lord Donoughmore.'"

"He was the only man who could render by a bull what it was impossible to
convey more correctly," said Power.

"You've heard of his duel with Dick Toler?"

"Never; let's hear it."

"It was a bull from beginning to end. Boyle took it into his head that Dick
was a person with whom he had a serious row in Cork. Dick, on the other
hand, mistook Boyle for old Caples, whom he had been pursuing with
horse-whipping intentions for some months. They met in Kildare Street Club,
and very little colloquy satisfied them that they were right in their
conjectures, each party being so eagerly ready to meet the views of the
other. It never was a difficult matter to find a friend in Dublin; and to
do them justice, Irish seconds, generally speaking, are perfectly free from
any imputation upon the score of mere delay. No men have less impertinent
curiosity as to the cause of the quarrel; wisely supposing that the
principals know their own affairs best, they cautiously abstain from
indulging any prying spirit, but proceed to discharge their functions as
best they may. Accordingly, Sir Harry and Dick were 'set up,' as the phrase
is, at twelve paces, and to use Boyle's own words, for I have heard him
relate the story,--

"We blazed away, sir, for three rounds. I put two in his hat and one in his
neckcloth; his shots went all through the skirt of my coat.

"'We'll spend the day here,' says Considine, 'at this rate. Couldn't you
put them closer?'

"'And give us a little more time in the word,' says I.

"'Exactly,' said Dick.

"Well, they moved us forward two paces, and set to loading the pistols
again.

"By this time we were so near that we had full opportunity to scan each
other's faces. Well, sir, I stared at him, and he at me.

"'What!' said I.

"'Eh!' said he.

"'How's this?' said I.

"'You're not Billy Caples?' said he.

"'Devil a bit!' said I, 'nor I don't think you are Archy Devine;' and
faith, sir, so it appeared, we were fighting away