Art heard the soliloquy of Whiskey, and looked about him with an air of peculiar meaning. His pride--his shallow, weak, contemptible pride, was up, while the honest pride that is never separated from firmness and integrity, was cast aside and forgotten. Scaddhan came in, and placing the two tumblers before Toal, that worthy immediately emptied first one of them, and then the other. “The last two pounds are yours,” said Jerry; “Mooney, give them to him.” Art, whose heart was still smarting under the artful soliloquy of Tom Whiskey, now started to his feet, and exclaimed-- “No, Jerry, the money's not his yet. Barney, bring in two tumblers. What one may do another may do; and as Jerry says, why it's only for a wager. At any rate, for one o' my blood was never done out, and never will.” “By Japers,” said Whiskey, “I knew he wouldn't let himself be bate. I knew when it came to the push he wouldn't.” “Well, Barney,” said Toal, “don't make them strong for him, for they might get into his head; he hasn't a good head anyway--let them be rather wake, Barney.” “No,” said Art, “let them be as strong as his, and stronger, Barney; and lose no time about it.” “I had better color them,” said Barney, “an' the people about the place 'll think it's cordial still.” “Color the devil,” replied Art; “put no colorin' on them. Do you think I'm afeard of any one, or any colors?” “You afeard of any one,” exclaimed Tom Whiskey; “one o' the ould Maguires afeard! ha, ha, ha!--that 'ud be good!” Art, when the tumblers came in, drank off first one, which he had no sooner emptied, than he shivered into pieces against the grate; he then emptied the other, which shared the same fate. “Now,” said he to Barney, “bring me a third one; I'll let yez see what a Maguire is.” The third, on making its appearance, was immediately drained, and shivered like the others--for the consciousness of acting-wrong, in spite of his own resolution, almost drove him mad. Of what occurred subsequently in the public house, it is not necessary to give any account, especially as we must follow Art home--simply premising, before we do so, that the fact of “Art Maguire having broken the pledge,” had been known that very night to almost all Ballykeerin--thanks to the industry of Toal Finnigan, and his other friends.