The Fortunes of Hector O'Halloran, and His Man, Mark Antony O'TooleMaxwell, W. H. (William Hamilton)
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The Fortunes of Hector O'Halloran, and His Man, Mark Antony O'Toole
Maxwell, W. H. (William Hamilton)
Ireland -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
“No,” replied Mr. Sniggs, not exactly comprehending the drift of Mr.
Bradley’s examination.
“Have you sister, or brother?”
“Nather,” returned the quondam accuser; but now, as it would appear, by
some freak of fortune transmuted into the accused.
“Have ye no relashins, good nor bad, ye unfortunit divil?”
“I have,” replied the artist, “a third cousin, a well-behaved girl she
is, and greatly respected by her mistress, who’s married to a tanner in
the Liberty.”
“Well,” said Peter graciously, “on account of that well-behaved girl,
your third cousin, I’ll show mercy to you this time. Turn him out. Go
home and repent, Sniggs: God forgive ye! that’s all I have to say. Be
off wid ye.”
“Arrah, blur and nouns!” ejaculated the disappointed tailor, “and is
that all the satisfaction I’m to get for having my ear slit like a
swallow’s tail?”
“Out with him, I say. Wait till I ketch ye here agen, Sniggs. Be this
book,” (and Peter flourished the empty pewter-pot) “that well-behaved
girl, your third cousin that lives wid the tanner, won’t get you off the
second time. I wish the drink was come. I’m grately fatigued givin’ good
advice--it always laves me dry as a whistle. But what’s to be done wid
the chap in the corner?”
“There’s no use spakin’ to him now,” returned a watchman; “he’s blind
drunk, and fast asleep into the bargain.”
“Did he do much damage?”
“Not he,” returned Mr. French; “poor divil! he couldn’t stand, let alone
strike. At the commencement of the row he was knocked down like a
nine-pin, and I wonder he was not trodden to death. Send him home,
Peter ‘pon my life, it’s dangerous to keep him here.”
“Are ye joking, Artur?”
“No, honour bright, Peter. Look at his buttons, one of ye. What’s the
number of his regiment?”
“The twenty-first.”
“Away with him to George’s-street.”
“Arrah, and upon my conscience, ourselves ought to know the road purty
well. God’s blessin’ attind the Kilkinnys! it was a plasure to do bisnis
wid them;--four or five to be carried home, reglar, at two shillins a
head, and no cobblin’ about the money afterwards. The sergeant of the
guard tallied them as they eame in, and it was only to bring the score
to the quarter-master, and down came the brads in the mornin’. But who’s
to pay for this chap?”
“I,” said the wild collegian, as he tossed a piece of money to the
speaker. “It’s only what one gentleman should do for another, when he’s
too drunk to be able to do it for himself. But here comes supper. I
wonder what became of the quaker. Ah, Peter! he _was_ a trump--and such
a hitter! I’ll respect a quaker while I live. Give me a pull of ‘the
heavy,’ and let us have the cockles while they are hot.”
While Mr. Bradley, with his young and amiable friend, proceeded to
discuss their supper, a couple of watchmen lifted the unfortunate quaker
off the guard-bed. The movement roused him; but it was soon evident that
the late symposium was still uppermost in his brain.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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