grand
supper in King William's parlour, it was arranged with Nutter that a
gentlemanlike reconciliation was to take place; and accordingly, about
nine o'clock, at which time Nutter's arrival was expected, Puddock, with
the pomp and gravity becoming such an occasion, accompanied by
O'Flaherty, big with his speech, entered the spacious parlour.

When they came in there was a chorus of laughter ringing round, with a
clapping of hands, and a Babel of hilarious applause; and Tom Toole was
seen in the centre, sitting upon the floor, hugging his knees, with his
drawn sword under his arm, his eyes turned up to the ceiling, and a
contortion so unspeakably ludicrous upon his queer little face, as was
very near causing little Puddock to explode in an unseemly burst of
laughter.

Devereux, sitting near the door, luckily saw them as they entered, and
announced them in a loud tone--'Lieutenant Puddock, gentlemen, and
Lieutenant Fireworker O'Flaherty.' For though Gipsy Devereux loved a bit
of mischief, he did not relish it when quite so serious, as the
Galwegian Fireworker was likely to make any sort of trifling on a point
so tender as his recent hostilities on the Fifteen Acres.

Toole bounded to his feet in an instant, adjusting his wig and eyeing
the new comers with intense but uneasy solemnity, which produced some
suppressed merriment among the company.

It was well for the serenity of the village that O'Flaherty was about to
make a little speech--a situation which usually deprived him of half his
wits. Still with the suspicion of conscious weakness, he read something
affecting himself in the general buzz and countenance of the assembly;
and said to Devereux, on purpose loud enough for Toole to hear--'Ensign
Puddock and myself would be proud to know what was the divarting
tom-foolery going on about the floor, and for which we arrived
unfortunately a little too leet?'

'Tom-foolery, Sir, is an unpleasant word!' cried the little doctor,
firing up, for he was a game-cock.

'Tom Toolery he means,' interposed Devereux, 'the pleasantest word, on
the contrary, in Chapelizod. Pray, allow me to say a word a degree more
serious. I'm commissioned, Lieutenant Puddock and Lieutenant O'Flaherty'
(a bow to each), 'by Mr. Mahony, who acted the part of second to Mr.
Nutter, on the recent occasion, to pray that you'll be so obliging as to
accept his apology for not being present at this, as we all hope most
agreeable meeting. Our reverend fr