Kelly scanned the face of the detective sharply for a second, and then resumed: “Do you chance to belong to the Emeralds? The benevolent society of that name is what I mane!” “No, I do not!” “Well, I know Mahan to be a mimber, an’ he’s been makin’ himself very free wid _lashins_ of people, hereabouts, within the past few wakes, invitin’ them to join, an’ I didn’t know but you were wan of his sort!” “Not at all! I niver belonged to any of the nature in this counthry! In Ireland, once, sure an’ I had a little of what ye might call exparience in that line!” Before the conversation could go any farther—as McKenna thought, quite providentially—Kelly was called out of the apartment, some person wishing to see him, and Dormer entered and assumed his place at the table. They both tasted the contents of a black bottle that the landlord had brought with him, and then Dormer asked: “How long is it since ye war made a mimber?” “What do ye mane—mimber of phat?” “Oh, ye nade not be backward, young man! I hev taken a likin’ to ye, and all in this house are my _friends_—an’ yours!” The word friend was peculiarly emphasized. “Well,” said McKenna, “I never joined wid any body of the sort in America; I didn’t know it would be any use to me when I left home, so I jist quit it entirely. Had I stopped long in New York, instead of goin’ to Colorado, to dig in the silver mines, I might have acted in a different way, kaping up me ould mimbership!” “Yes! I see what you intend! Bedad, but New York _is_ full of the rale stuff! Indade, I may say it is rotten wid that same! I have been on the inside since I was old enough. But recently I have had a slight misundersthanding, that I nade not mention now, but it’s bein’ settled, an’ the sooner the better it’ll suit me! When it is once fixed, I mane to be the best among ’em again! Most of those outside are mimbers. So you see you’re safe enough!” “Yes! but you see, Misther Dormer,” said McKenna, sipping the liquor remaining in his glass, “it’s been such a long time since I heard anything, or thought anything, of the order, that, as ye might say, I’m almost as ignorant as if I niver had seen the inside of the affair, an’ I belave, until I am once more initiated, the best thing I can do is to say as little about it as convanient! Perhaps, after a while, when you all knows me betther, I may be found worthy of active mimbership. I’m not the laste bit afraid but I’ll make as good a society man as iver walked on two fate in all Pennsylvania! I’m not at all frightened—don’t ye think that of me!” “Who would belave that ye war, afther the divil’s own basting ye gave Fightin’ Frazer, an’ he all the while big enough to put ye in his breeches pocket an’ walk off wid ye, as a boy might wid a pet squirrel? Oh, nobody hereabouts will long pretind to me that McKenna is at all timid!”