. Sir, I 'll not stand it,--none of your
buccaneering savageries _to me!_"

Tony laughed, and laughed heartily at the air of offended dignity of the
other; and Skeff was himself disposed at last to smile at his own anger.
"That 's the crying sin of _your_ nature, Tony," said he. "It is the one
defect that spoils a really fine fellow. I tell you frankly about it,
because I 'm your friend; and if you don't curb it, you 'll never be
anything,--never! never!"

"But what is this fault? you have forgotten to tell it."

"Over and over again have I told it It is your stupid animal confidence
in your great hulking form: your coarse reliance on your massive
shoulders,--a degenerate notion that muscle means manhood. It is here,
sir,--here;" and Skeff touched his forehead with the tip of his finger;
"here lies the godlike attribute. And until you come to feel that, you
never will have arrived at the real dignity of a great creature."

"Well, if I be the friend of one, Skeffy, it will satisfy all my
ambition," said he, grasping his hand warmly; "and now what of M'Gruder?
How did you come to know of him?"

"Officially,--officially, of course. Skeffington Darner and Sam M'Gruder
might revolve in ether for centuries and their orbits never cross!
but it happened this honest fellow had gone off in search of you into
Sicily; and with that blessed propensity for blundering the British
subject is gifted with, had managed to offend the authorities and get
imprisoned. Of course he appealed to me. They all appeal to _me!_ but at
the moment unhappily for him, the King was appealing to me, and Cavour
was appealing to me, and so was the Emperor; and, I may mention in
confidence, so was Garibaldi!--not in person, but through a friend. I
know these things must be. Whenever a fellow has a head on his shoulders
in this world, the other fellows who have no heads find it out and work
_him_. Ay, sir, work him! That 's why I have said over and over again
the stupid dogs have the best of it. I declare to you, on my honor,
Tony, there are days I 'd rather be you than be Skeff Darner!"

Tony shook his head.

"I know it sounds absurd, but I pledge you my sacred word of honor I
_have_ felt it."

"And M'Gruder?" asked Tony.

"M'Gruder, sir, I liberated! I said, Free him! and, like the fellow in
Curran's celebrated passage, his chains fell to the ground, and he
stood forward, not a bit grateful,--far from it,--but a devilish crusty
Scotchman, telling