imaces, shrugs,
and ogles. But the young gentleman was not in the habit of denying
himself innocent indulgences, and shaking himself loose of Toole, he
walked down the dark side of the street in peals of laughter, making,
ever and anon, little breathless remarks to himself, which his colleague
could not hear, but which seemed to have the effect of setting him off
again into new hemi-demi-semiquavers and roars of laughter, and left the
doctor to himself, to conduct the negociation with Loftus.

'Well?' said Devereux, by this time recovering breath, as the little
doctor, looking very red and glum, strutted up to him along the shady
pavement.

'Well? _well?_--oh, ay, _very_ well, to be sure. I'd like to know what
the plague we're to do now,' grumbled Toole.

'Your precious armour-bearer refuses to act then?' asked Devereux.

'To be sure he does. He sees _you_ walking down the street, ready to die
o' laughing--at _nothing_, by Jove!' swore Toole, in deep disgust;
'and--and--och! hang it! it's all a confounded pack o' nonsense. Sir, if
you could not keep grave for five minutes, you ought not to have come at
all. But what need _I_ care? It's Nutter's affair, not mine.'

'And well for him we failed. Did you ever see such a fish? He'd have
shot himself or Nutter, to a certainty. But there's a chance yet: we
forgot the Nightingale Club; they're still in the Phoenix.'

'Pooh, Sir! they're all tailors and green-grocers,' said Toole, in high
dudgeon.

'There are two or three good names among them, however,' answered
Devereux; and by this time they were on the threshold of the Phoenix.

'Larry,' he cried to the waiter, 'the Nightingale Club is _there_, is it
not?' glancing at the great back parlour door.

'Be the powers! Captain, you may say that,' said Larry, with a wink, and
a grin of exquisite glee.

'See, Larry,' said Toole, with importance, 'we're a little serious now;
so just say if there's any of the gentlemen there; you--you understand,
now; quite steady? D'ye see me?'

Larry winked--this time a grave wink--looked down at the floor, and up
to the cornice, and--

'Well,' said he, 'to be candid with you, jest at this
minute--half-an-hour ago, you see, it was different--the only gentleman
I'd take on myself to recommend to you as perfectly sober is Mr. Macan,
of Petticoat-lane.'

'Is he in business?' asked Toole.

'Does he keep a shop?' said Devereux.

'A shop! _two_ shops;--a great man in the chandlery line,