en perhaps you would do me the very great favor to join him at dinner,'
said O'Grady. 'Any friend of Colonel M'Manus--'

"'You are really too good,' said I; 'but as an utter stranger--'

"'Never think of that for a moment. My friend's friend, as the adage says.'

"'Upon my conscience, a good saying,' said I, 'but you see there's another
difficulty. I've ordered a chop and potatoes up in No. 5.'

"'Let that be no obstacle,' said O'Grady. 'The waiter shall put it in my
bill; if you will only do me the pleasure.'

"'You're a trump,' said I. 'What's your name?'

"'O'Grady, at your service.'

"'Any relation of the counsellor?' said I. 'They're all one family, the
O'Gradys. I'm Mr. O'Shaughnessy, from Ennis; won't you introduce me to the
ladies?'

"While the ceremony of presentation was going on I caught one glance at
M'Manus, and had hard work not to roar out laughing. Such an expression of
surprise, amazement, indignation, rage, and misery never was mixed up in
one face before. Speak he could not; and I saw that, except for myself, he
had neither eyes, ears, nor senses for anything around him. Just at this
moment dinner was announced, and in we went. I never was in such spirits in
my life; the trick upon M'Manus had succeeded perfectly; he believed in his
heart that I had never met O'Grady in my life before, and that upon the
faith of our friendship, I had received my invitation. As for me, I spared
him but little. I kept up a running fire of droll stories, had the ladies
in fits of laughing, made everlasting allusions to the colonel; and, in
a word, ere the soup had disappeared, except himself, the company was
entirely with me.

"'O'Grady,' said I, 'forgive the freedom, but I feel as if we were old
acquaintances.'

"'As Colonel M'Manus's friend,' said he, 'you can take no liberty here to
which you are not perfectly welcome.'

"'Just what I expected,' said I. 'Mac and I,'--I wish you saw his face when
I called him Mac,--'Mac and I were schoolfellows five-and-thirty years ago;
though he forgets me, I don't forget him,--to be sure it would be hard for
me. I'm just thinking of the day Bishop Oulahan came over to visit the
college. Mac was coming in at the door of the refectory as the bishop was
going out. "Take off your caubeen, you young scoundrel, and kneel down for
his reverence to bless you," said one of the masters, giving his hat a blow
at the same moment that sent it flying to the other end of the room, and