r, that I or any man living could suppose for
an instant, that my respected friend, Mr. Nutter, to whom (a low bow to
Nutter, returned by that gentleman) I have now the misfortune to be
opposed, is capable--capable, Sir, of poisoning any living being--man,
woman, or child; and to put an end, Sir, at once to all misapprehension
upon this point, it was I--_I_, Sir--myself--who poisoned him,
altogether accidentally, of course, by a valuable, but mismanaged
receipt, this morning, Sir--you--you _see_, Mr. Nutter!'

Nutter, balked of his gentlemanlike satisfaction, stared with a
horrified but somewhat foolish countenance from Puddock to O'Flaherty.

'And now, Thir,' pursued Puddock, addressing himself to Mr. Mahony, 'if
Mr. Nutter desires to postpone the combat, I consent; if not, I offer
mythelf to maintain it inthead of my printhipal.'

And so he made another low bow, and stood bareheaded, hat in hand, with
his right hand on his sword hilt.

'Upon my honour, Captain Puddock, it's precisely what I was going to
propose myself, Sir,' said Mahony, with great alacrity; 'as the only way
left us of getting honourably out of the great embarrassment in which we
are placed by the premature _death_-struggles of your friend; for
nothing, Mr. Puddock, but being _bona fide in articulo mortis_, can
palliate his conduct.'

'My dear Puddock,' whispered Devereux, in his ear, 'surely you would not
kill Nutter to oblige two such brutes as these?' indicating by a glance
Nutter's splendid second and the magnanimous O'Flaherty, who was still
sitting speechless upon the ground.

'Captain Puddock,' pursued that mirror of courtesy, Mr. Patrick Mahony,
of Muckafubble, who, by-the-bye, persisted in giving him his captaincy,
may I enquire who's _your_ friend upon this unexpected turn of affairs?'

'There's no need, Sir,' said Nutter, dryly and stoutly, 'I would not
hurt a hair of your head, Lieutenant Puddock.'

'Do you hear him?' panted O'Flaherty, for the first time articulate, and
stung by the unfortunate phrase--it seemed fated that Nutter should not
open his lips without making some allusion to human hair: 'do you _hear_
him, Puddock? Mr. Nutter--(he spoke with great difficulty, and in
jerks)--Sir--Mr. Nutter--you shall--ugh--you shall render a strict
accow-ow-oh-im-m-m!'

The sound was smothered under his compressed lips, his face wrung itself
again crimson with a hideous squeeze, and Puddock thought the moment of
his dissolution was co