matter might have ended
comfortably; but she was always too fond of covert ways, drows, and
brimstones. This is not the first poisoning affair she has been engaged
in."

"You allude to drabbing bawlor." {252b}

"Bah!" said Mr. Petulengro; "there's no harm in that. No, no! she has
cast drows {253a} in her time for other guess things than bawlor; both
Gorgios and Romans have tasted of them, and died. Did you never hear of
the poisoned plum pudding?"

"Never."

"Then I will tell you about it. It happened about six years ago, a few
months after she had quitted us--she had gone first amongst her own
people, as she called them; but there was another small party of Romans,
with whom she soon became very intimate. It so happened that this small
party got into trouble; whether it was about a horse or an ass, or
passing bad money, no matter to you and me, who had no hand in the
business; three or four of them were taken and lodged in --- Castle, and
amongst them was a woman; but the sherengro, or principal man of the
party, and who it seems had most hand in the affair, was still at large.
All of a sudden a rumour was spread abroad that the woman was about to
play false, and to 'peach the rest. Said the principal man, when he
heard it, 'If she does, I am nashkado.' {253b} Mrs. Herne was then on a
visit to the party, and when she heard the principal man take on so, she
said, 'But I suppose you know what to do?' 'I do not,' said he. 'Then
hir mi devlis,' said she, 'you are a fool. But leave the matter to me, I
know how to dispose of her in Roman fashion.' Why she wanted to
interfere in the matter, brother, I don't know, unless it was from pure
brimstoneness of disposition--she had no hand in the matter which had
brought the party into trouble--she was only on a visit, and it had
happened before she came; but she was always ready to give dangerous
advice. Well, brother, the principal man listened to what she had to
say, and let her do what she would; and she made a pudding, a very nice
one, no doubt--for, besides plums, she put in drows and all the Roman
condiments that she knew of; and she gave it to the principal man, and
the principal man put it into a basket and directed it to the woman in ---
Castle, and the woman in the castle took it and--"

"Ate of it," said I; "just like my case!"

"Quite different, brother; she took it, it is true, but instead of giving
way to her appetite, as you might have done, she pu