There was a terrible silence. With one eye he annihilated me, with the other he detained Bluteisen, who was sneaking off into the darkness. Then in a fury he hissed, "What are you? What are you doing here?" With choking voice I blurted out the simple truth. "Sire," I said, "I have the honour to inform you that I am here to tune the Imperial piano." I understand that I am to be shot at dawn to-morrow. So, thank heaven, is Bluteisen. * * * * * THE DOCTHOR'S WAR SPEECH. Martin Cassidy told it to me. He was there, and he saw the boys form fours when they marched to the station the next day. There were seventeen of them, and he said he'd never forget it. "'Twas the Docthor's war speech that did ut," said Martin. "He had thim all in Micky's shebeen--sure they'd have been there annyhow--and the Docthor had volunteeerd himself; why not? "Yes, the women and childer were admitted. Wouldn't they be wantin' to know the way of it? Av coorse. "You'd not keep them out annyway. 'Tis the whole of Ballymurky that was there that night. "'Twas an o-ration the Docthor gave thim. Ye could have heard a pin drop. Isn't it mesilf that would be away there now, if they'd let me? Didn't Patsy Doolan have to sit on me head to keep me from gettin' into the thrain with thim? "'Sure the KING knows ye've been drawin' the ould-age pension this two years,' sez he. 'Won't he have it down in his note-book?' sez he; 'and you wanten to pass for thirty. Gwan,' sez he." Old Martin applied a piece of glowing turf to his pipe and sucked audibly before continuing. "Don't I remimber ivery wurrd the Docthor shpoke," said Martin slowly--"och, the way he had with him. "'The KAISER is it?' sez he. 'What would ye be askin' for betther?' sez he. ''Tis this way and that way wid the KAISER,' sez he, 'and he'll not be aisy till he's wiped Ballymurky off the map, so he would. And the GERMAN EMPEROR is as bad,' sez he. 'It's Bairrlin or Ballymurky, boys, so it is,' sez he; 'just that. "'Is ut have the Germans over here in Ballymurky ye would?' sez he. 'Sure 'tis not butthermilk and praties they'd be contint with, Doolan, me boy,' sez he; 'faith 'tis your pig they'd be afther atin. And 'tis not you the KAISER would be decoratin' with an iron cross; 'tis more like a lick of his shtick ye'd be afther gettin, Doolan--and the thrubble ye've taken with the rarin' of the crayther. Och, ye could nivver look the pig in the face again if ye shtayed.'" Martin subsided a while to show me Doolan's pig, which was taking the air outside. "And that," he remarked, "is corrosive ividence of what I'm tellin' ye." The pig grunted his compliments, and Martin continued. "'Wait till I tell ye what they did at Louvain,' sez the Doc. 'Whist now, till ye hear this,' sez he.