And when Mr. Forister had finished his graceful remarks we had some
talk regarding Mr. Forister's affairs in Bristol, and I confess I was
much interested in hearing about the little--"

Here I stopped abruptly, as if I had been interrupted by Forister;
but he had given me no sign but a sickly grin.

"Eh, Forister?" said I. "What's that?"

"I was remarking that I had nothing further to say for the present,"
he replied, with superb insolence. "For the time I am quite willing to
be silent. I bid you a good day, sirs."

CHAPTER VIII

As the door closed upon Forister, Colonel Royale beat his hand
passionately against the wall. "O'Ruddy," he cried, "if you could
severely maim that cold-blooded bully, I would be willing to adopt you
as my legitimate grandfather. I would indeed."

"Never fear me," said I. "I shall pink him well."

"Aye," said my friend, looking at me mournfully, "I ever feared your
Irish light-heartedness. 'Twill not do to be confident. He is an evil
man, but a great swordsman. Now I never liked Ponsonby, and Stewart
was the most lovable of men; but in the great duel Ponsonby killed--"

"No," I interrupted, "damn the duel between Ponsonby and Stewart. I'm
sick of it. This is to be the duel between The O'Ruddy and Forister,
and it won't be like the other."

"Eh, well," said the Colonel good-naturedly; "make your mind easy. But
I hope to God you lay him flat."

"After I have finished with him," said I in measured tones, "he will
be willing to sell himself as a sailor to go to the Indies; only, poor
devil, he won't be able to walk, which is always a drawback after a
hard fight, since it leaves one man incapable on the ground and thus
discloses strong evidence of a struggle."

I could see that Colonel Royale had no admiration for my bragging air,
but how otherwise was I to keep up my spirits? With all my
discouragements it seemed to me that I was privileged to do a little
fine lying. Had my father been in my place, he would have lied
Forister into such a corner that the man would be thinking that he had
the devil for an opponent. My father knew more about such matters.

Still I could not help but be thinking how misfortunate it was that I
had kicked a great swordsman out of this inn at Bristol when he might
have been a harmless shoemaker if I had only decent luck. I must make
the best of it, and for this my only method was to talk loudly,--to
myself, if need be; to others if I could. I was not