g to
himself in a low broken voice, but with a look so happy, and a smile so
tranquil, he seemed more a thing to envy than one to commiserate and
pity.

'I say, Hinton!' shouted the Major from the window of my bedroom,
'what the deuce are you doing up that ladder there? Not serenading Mrs.
Doolan, I hope. Are you aware it is five o'clock?'

I descended with all haste, and joining my friend, took his arm, and set
out towards the rendezvous.

'I didn't order the horses,' said Mahon, 'for the rumour of such a thing
as this always gets abroad through one's servants.'

'Ah, yes,' said I; 'and then you have the police.'

'The police!' repeated he, laughing--'not a bit of it, my boy; don't
forget you're in glorious old Ireland, where no one ever thinks of
spoiling a fair fight. It is possible the magistrate might issue his
warrant if you would not come up to time, but for anything else----'

'Well,' said I, 'that certainly does afford me another glimpse of your
habits. How far have we to go, Major?'

'You remember the grass-field below the sunk fence, to the left of the
mill?'

'Where the stream runs?'

'Exactly; that's the spot. It was old Pigott chose it, and no man is a
better judge of these things. By-the-bye, it is very lucky that Burke
should have pitched upon a gentleman for his friend--I mean a real
gentleman, for there are plenty of his acquaintances who under that name
would rob the mail.'

Thus chatting as we went, Mahon informed me that Pigott was an old
half-pay Colonel, whose principal occupation for thirteen years had been
what the French would call 'to assist' at affairs of honour. Even the
Major himself looked up to him as a last appeal in a disputed or a
difficult point; and many a reserved case was kept for his opinion,
with the same ceremonious observance as a knotty point of law for the
consideration of the twelve judges. Crossing the little rivulet near
the mill, we held on by a small bypath which brought us over the
starting-ground of the steeplechase, by the scene of part of my
preceding day's exploits. While I was examining with some curiosity
the ground cut up and trod by the horses' feet, and looking at the
spot where we had taken the fence, the sharp sound of two pistol-shots
quickly aroused me, and I eagerly asked what it was.

'Snapping the pistols,' said Mahon. 'Ah, by-the-bye, all this kind of
thing is new to you. Never mind; put a careless, half-indifferent kind
of face on the ma