I took refuge by Mulvaney, for Dinah Shadd has a temper of her own. 'Let be--let be,' said Mulvaney. 'Tis only wanst in a way I can talk about the ould days.' Then to me:--'Ye say Dhrumshticks is well, an' his lady tu? I niver knew how I liked the gray garron till I was shut av him an' Asia.'--'Dhrumshticks' was the nickname of the Colonel commanding Mulvaney's old regiment.--'Will you be seein' him again? You will. Thin tell him'--Mulvaney's eyes began to twinkle--'tell him wid Privit--' 'MISTER, Terence,' interrupted Dinah Shadd. 'Now the Divil an' all his angils an' the Firmament av Hiven fly away wid the “Mister,” an' the sin av making me swear be on your confession, Dinah Shadd! _Privit_, I tell ye. Wid _Privit_ Mulvaney's best obedience, that but for me the last time-expired wud be still pullin' hair on their way to the sea.' He threw himself back in the chair, chuckled, and was silent. 'Mrs. Mulvaney,' I said, 'please take up the whiskey, and don't let him have it until he has told the story.' Dinah Shadd dexterously whipped the bottle away, saying at the same time, 'Tis nothing to be proud av,' and thus captured by the enemy, Mulvaney spake:-- 'Twas on Chuseday week. I was behaderin' round wid the gangs on the 'bankmint--I've taught the hoppers how to kape step an' stop screechin'--whin a head-gangman comes up to me, wid two inches av shirt-tail hanging round his neck an' a disthressful light in his oi. “Sahib,” sez he, “there's a rig'mint an' a half av soldiers up at the junction, knockin' red cinders out av ivrything an' ivrybody! They thried to hang me in my cloth,” he sez, “an' there will be murder an' ruin an' rape in the place before nightfall! They say they're comin' down here to wake us up. What will we do wid our women-folk?” '“Fetch my throlly!” sez I; “my heart's sick in my ribs for a wink at anything wid the Quane's uniform on ut. Fetch my throlly, an' six av the jildiest men, and run me up in shtyle.'” 'He tuk his best coat,' said Dinah Shadd reproachfully. ''Twas to do honour to the Widdy. I cud ha' done no less, Dinah Shadd. You and your digresshins interfere wid the coorse av the narrative. Have you iver considhered fwhat I wud look like wid me _head_ shaved as well as my chin? You bear that in your mind, Dinah darlin'. 'I was throllied up six miles, all to get a shquint at that draf'. I _knew_ 'twas a spring draf' goin' home, for there's no rig'mint hereabouts, more's the pity.' 'Praise the Virgin!' murmured Dinah Shadd. But Mulvaney did not hear. 'Whin I was about three-quarters av a mile off the rest-camp, powtherin' along fit to burrst, I heard the noise av the men an', on my sowl, Sorr, I cud catch the voice av Peg Barney bellowin' like a bison wid the belly-ache. You remimber Peg Barney that was in D Comp'ny--a red, hairy scraun, wid a scar on his jaw? Peg Barney that cleared out the Blue Lights' Jubilee meeting wid the cook-room mop last year?