d the
gauger said it was what he could not do for nothing, but he'd hold Sir
Condy a hundred guineas he'd do it.

'Done,' says my master; 'I'll lay you a hundred golden guineas to a
tester you don't.' [TESTER: sixpence; from the French word TETE, a
head--a piece of silver stamped with a head, which in old French was
called UN TESTION, and which was about the value of an old English
sixpence. 'Tester' is used in Shakspeare.]

'Done,' says the gauger; and done and done's enough between two
gentlemen. The gauger was cast, and my master won the bet, and thought
he'd won a hundred guineas, but by the wording it was adjudged to be
only a tester that was his due by the exciseman. It was all one to him;
he was as well pleased, and I was glad to see him in such spirits again.

The gauger--bad luck to him!--was the man that next proposed to my
master to try himself, could he take at a draught the contents of the
great horn.

'Sir Patrick's horn!' said his honour; 'hand it to me: I'll hold you
your own bet over again I'll swallow it.'

'Done,' says the gauger; 'I'll lay ye anything at all you do no such
thing.'

'A hundred guineas to sixpence I do,' says he; 'bring me the
handkerchief.' I was loth, knowing he meant the handkerchief with the
gold in it, to bring it out in such company, and his honour not very
able to reckon it. 'Bring me the handkerchief, then, Thady,' says he,
and stamps with his foot; so with that I pulls it out of my greatcoat
pocket, where I had put it for safety. Oh, how it grieved me to see the
guineas counting upon the table, and they the last my master had! Says
Sir Condy to me, 'Your hand is steadier than mine to-night, old Thady,
and that's a wonder; fill you the horn for me.' And so, wishing his
honour success, I did; but I filled it, little thinking of what would
befall him. He swallows it down, and drops like one shot. We lifts him
up, and he was speechless, and quite black in the face. We put him to
bed, and in a short time he wakened, raving with a fever on his brain.
He was shocking either to see or hear.

'Judy! Judy! have you no touch of feeling? Won't you stay to help us
nurse him?' says I to her, and she putting on her shawl to go out of the
house.

'I'm frightened to see him,' says she, 'and wouldn't nor couldn't stay
in it; and what use? He can't last till the morning.' With that she ran
off. There was none but my shister and myself left near him of all the
many friends he had.

T