g me with a look, in which his habitual ill-temper was dashed with
a slight mixture of scorn and pity.

'So you are awake at last!' said he; ''faith, and you sleep sound,
and'--this he muttered between his teeth--'and maybe it's sounder you'll
sleep to-morrow night! The Captain bid me call you at seven o'clock, and
it's near eight now. That blaguard of a servant of yours wouldn't get
up to open the door till I made a cry of fire outside, and puffed a few
mouthfuls of smoke through the keyhole!'

'Well done, Corny! But where's the Captain?' 'Where is he? Sorrow one
o'me knows! Maybe at the watch-house, maybe in George's Street barrack,
maybe in the streets, maybe---- Och, troth! there's many a place he
might be, and good enough for him any of them. Them's the tools, well
oiled; I put flints in them.'

'And what have you got in the bag, Corny?'

'Maybe you'll see time enough. It's the lint, the sticking-plaster and
the bandages, and the turn-an'-twist.' This, be it known, was the Delany
for tourniquet. 'And, 'faith, it's a queer use to put the same bag to;
his honour the judge had it made to carry his notes in. Ugh, ugh, ugh!
a bloody little bag it always was! Many's the time I seen the poor
craytures in the dock have to hould on by the spikes, when they'd see
him put his hands in it! It's not lucky, the same bag! Will you have
some brandy-and-water, and a bit of dry toast? It's what the Captain
always gives them the first time they go out. When they're used to it,
a cup of chocolate with a spoonful of whisky is a fine thing for the
hand.'

I could scarce restrain a smile at the notion of dieting a man for a
duel, though, I confess, there seemed something excessively bloodthirsty
about it. However, resolved to give Corny a favourable impression of my
coolness, I said, 'Let me have the chocolate and a couple of eggs.'

He gave a grin a demon might have envied, as he muttered to himself, 'He
wants to try and die game, ugh, ugh!' With these words he waddled out
of the room to prepare my breakfast, his alacrity certainly increased by
the circumstance in which he was employed.

No sooner was I alone than I opened the pistol-case to examine
the weapons. They were, doubtless, good ones; but a ruder, more
ill-fashioned, clumsy pair it would be impossible to conceive. The
stock, which extended nearly to the end of the barrel, was notched with
grooves for the fingers to fit in, the whole terminating in an uncouth
knob, inla