"By the powers! a very pretty song, and much obliged am I to ye for singing it, more especially as it gives me an opportunity of breaking your head, you long-limbed descendant of a Boyne trooper. You must deny your country, must ye? ye dingy renegade!--the black North, but old Ireland still. But here's Connemara for ye--take this--and this--Och, murther!--What have we got here . . .?" * * * * * "Who and what is this O'Donahue?" said I to Frank Ardry after we had descended into the street. "An ill-tempered Irishman," said Frank, "the most disagreeable animal alive, once a rare bird on the earth. His father, after having taught him some Irish and less Latin, together with an immoderate hatred of the English, sent him abroad at the age of sixteen to serve the French. In that service he continued until the time of the general peace, when he quitted it for the Austrian. I first became acquainted with him at Vienna, where he bore the rank of captain, but had the character of a notorious gambler. It was owing, I believe, to his gambling practices that he was eventually obliged to leave the Austrian service. He has been in London about six months, where he supports himself as best he can, chiefly, I believe, by means of the gaming-table. His malignity against England has of late amounted almost to insanity, and has been much increased by the perusal of Irish newspapers which abound with invective against England and hyperbolical glorification of Ireland and the Irish. The result is that he has come to the conclusion that the best way for him to take revenge for the injuries of Ireland and to prove the immense superiority of the Irish over the English will be to break the head of Bishop Sharpe in the ring." "Well," said I, "I do not see why the dispute, if dispute there be, should not be settled in the ring." "Nor I either," said Frank, "and I could wish my countrymen to choose none other than O'Donahue. With respect to England and Bishop Sharpe . . ." At that moment a voice sounded close by me: "Coach, your honour, coach? Will carry you anywhere you like." I stopped, and lo the man of the greatcoat and glazed hat stood by my side. "What do you want?" said I. "Have you brought me any message from your master?" "Master? What master? Oh! you mean the captain. I left him rubbing his head. No, I don't think you will hear anything from him in a hurry; he has had enough of you. All I wish to know is whether you wish to ride." "I thought you were the captain's servant." "Yes, I look after the spavined roan on which he rides about the Park, but he's no master of mine--he doesn't pay me. Who cares? I don't serve him for money. I like to hear his talk about Bishop Sharpe and beating the English--Lord help him! Now, where do you wish to go? Any coach you like--any coachman--and nothing to pay." "Why do you wish me to ride?" said I.