e. To be sure, now and then a cry
would burst forth, as if they were killing somebody below-stairs, but I
soon fell asleep and heard no more of them.

'By daybreak next morning they made their escape; and when I was trying
to awake at half-past ten, I found Colonel M'Morris, of the Mayo, with a
message from the whole four.

'"A bad business this, Captain Mahon," said he; "my friends have been
shockingly treated."

'"It's mighty hard," said I, "to want to shoot me because I hadn't
fourteen feather-beds in the house."

'"They will be the laugh of the whole country, sir."

'"Troth!" said I, "if the country is not in very low spirits, I think
they will."

'"There's not a man of them can see!--their eyes are actually closed
up!"

'"The Lord be praised!" said I. "It's not likely they'll hit me."

'But to make a short story of it--out we went. Tom Burke was my friend.
I could scarce hold my pistol with laughing; for such faces no man ever
looked at. But for self-preservation's sake, I thought it best to hit
one of them; so I just pinked Ffrench a little under the skirt of the
coat. '"Come, Lambert!" said the Colonel, "it's your turn now."

'"Wasn't that Lambert," said I, "that I hit?"

'"No," said he, "that was Ffrench."

'"Begad, I'm sorry for it. Ffrench, my dear fellow, excuse me; for you
see you're all so like each other about the eyes this morning----"

'With this there was a roar of laughing from them all, in which, I
assure you, Lambert took not a very prominent part; for somehow he
didn't fancy my polite inquiries after him. And so we all shook hands,
and left the ground as good friends as ever--though to this hour the
name of Newgate brings less pleasant recollections to their minds than
if their fathers had been hanged at its prototype.'

CHAPTER XXIX. THE DUEL

When morning broke, I started up and opened the window. It was one
of those bright and beauteous daybreaks which would seem to be the
compensation a northern climate possesses for its want of the azure sky
of noon and the silvery moonlight of night, the gifts of happier climes.
The pink hue of the sky was gradually replacing the paler tints, like
a deep blush mantling the cheek of beauty; the lark was singing high in
heaven, and the deep note of the blackbird came mellowed from the leafy
grove; the cattle were still at rest, and seemed half unwilling to break
the tranquil stillness of the scene, as they lay breathing the balmy
odours f