on in such shameless profligacy would
be to identify myself with it. You have been doubly treacherous, Mr.
Clinton; first to me, whom you know to be your friend, and, in the next
place, to the unfortunate partner in your villany, and at my expense;
for d----d if I can call it less. What noise is that?"

Clinton the elder here withdrew, and had scarcely disappeared when two
voices were heard in the hall, in a kind of clamorous remonstrance with
each other, which voices were those of Father Magowan and our friend
O'Finigan, as we must now call him, inasmuch as he is, although early in
the day, expanded with that hereditary sense of dignity which will not
allow the great O to be suppressed.

"Behave, and keep quiet, now," said his Reverence, "you unfortunate
pedagogue you; I tell you that you are inebriated."

"Pardon me, your Reverence," replied O'Finigan; "_non ebrius sed vino
gravatus_, devil a thing more."

"Get out, you profligate," replied the priest, "don't you know that
either, at this time o' day, is too bad?"

"_Nego, dominie--nego, Dominie revendre_--denial is my principle, I say.
Do you assert that there's no difference between _ebrius_ and _gravatus
vino_?"

"In your case, you reprobate, I do. Where would you get the vino?
However," he proceeded, "as you are seldom sober, and as I know it is
possible you may have something of importance to say on a particular
subject, I suppose you may as well say it now as any other time, and
it's likely we may get more truth out of you."

"Ay," said the schoolmaster, "upon the principle that _in vino veritas_;
but you know that _gravatus vino_ and _ebrius_ are two different
things--_gravatus vino_, the juice o' the grape--och, och, as every one
knows, could and stupid; but _ebrius_ from blessed poteen, that warms
and gives ecstatic nutrition to the heart."

The altercation proceeded for a little, but, after a short remonstrance
and bustle, the priest, followed by O'Finigan, entered the room.

"Gentlemen," said the priest, "I trust you will excuse me for the
society in which I happen to appear before you; but the truth is that
this Finigan--"

"Pardon me, your Reverence, O'Finigan if you plaise; we have been shorn
of--"

"Well, then, since he will have it so, this O'Finigan is really
inebriated, and I cannot exactly say why, in this state, his presence
can be of any advantage to us."

"He says," replied the master, "that I am _ebrius_, whereas I replied
that I