“Upon locomotive principles. I admit Munster, gintlemen--glorious Kerry!--yes, and I say I am not ashamed of it. I do plead guilty to the peripatetic system: like a comet I travelled during my juvenile days--as I may truly assert wid a slight modicum of latitude” (here he lurched considerably to the one side)--“from star to star, until I was able to exhibit all their brilliancy united simply, I can safely assert, in my own humble person. Gintlemen, I have the honor of being able to write 'Philomath' after my name--which is O'Finigan, not Finigan, by any means--and where is the oyster in his shell could do that? Yes, and although they refused me a sizarship in Trinity College--for what will not fear and envy do? “'Tantaene animis celesiibus irae' Yet I have the consolation to know that my name is seldom mentioned among the literati of classical Kerry--_nudis cruribus_ as they are--except as the Great O'Finigan! In the mane time--” “Bravo, Masther!” exclaimed Keenan, interrupting him. “Here, Ted! another bottle, till the Great O'Finigan gets a glass of whiskey.” “Yes, gintlemen,” proceeded O'Finigan, “the alcohol shall be accepted, _puris naturalibus_--which means, in its native--or more properly--but which comes to the same thing--in its naked state; and, in the mane time, I propose the health of one of my best benefactors--Gerald Cavanagh, whose hospitable roof is a home--a domicilium to erudition and respectability, when they happen, as they ought, to be legitimately concatenated in the same person--as they are in your humble servant; and I also beg leave to add the pride of the barony, his fair and virtuous daughter, Kathleen, in conjunction wid the I accomplished son of another benefactor of mine--honest James Burke--in conjunction, I say, wid his son, Mr. Hyacinth. Ah, gintlemen--Billy Clinton, you thievin' villain! you don't pay attention; I say, gintlemen, if I myself could deduct a score of years from the period of my life, I should endeavor to run through the conjugations of _amo_ in society wid that pearl of beauty. In the mane time--” “Here's her health, masther,” returned Keenan, “an' her father's too, an' Hycy Burke's into the bargain--is there any more o' them? Well, no matter.” Then turning to his antagonist, he added, “I say agin, thin, that a Mullin's not a match for a Keenan, nor never was--no, nor never will be! That's the chat! and who's afeard to say it? eh, masther?” “It's a lie!” shouted one of the opposite party; “I'm able to lick e'er a Keenan that ever went on nate's leather--an' that's my chat.”