Tom laughed like to burst. At last, says he, "Pather
Sancte," says he, "sub errore jaces. 'Looking-glass' apud nos habet
significationem quamdam peculiarem ex tempore diei dependentem"--there
was a sthring ov accusatives for yez!--"nam mane speculum sonat," says
he, "post prandium vero mat--mat--mat"--sorra be in me but I disremimber
the classic appellivation ov the same article. Howandiver, his Riv'rence
went on explaining himself in such a way as no scholar could mistake.
"Vesica mea," says he, "ab illo ultimo eversore distenditur, donc
similis est rumpere. Verbis apertis," says he, "Vesthrae Sanctitatis
praesentia salvata, aquam facere valde desidhero."

"Ho, ho, ho!" says the Pope, grabbing up his box; "si inquinavisses meam
pyxidem, excimnicari debuisses. Hillo, Anthony," says he to his head
butler, "fetch Misther Maguire a----"

"You spoke first!" says his Riv'rence, jumping off his sate: "You spoke
first in the vernacular. I take Misther Anthony to witness," says he.

"What else would you have me to do?" says the Pope, quite dogged like to
see himself bate thataway at his own waypons. "Sure," says he, "Anthony
wouldn't undherstand a B from a bull's foot, if I spoke to him any other
way."

"Well, then," says his Riv'rence, "in considheration ov the
needcessity," says he, "I'll let you off for this time; but mind, now,
afther I say _praestho_, the first of us that spakes a word of English
is the hare--_praestho_!"

Neither ov them spoke for near a minit, considhering wid themselves how
they wor to begin sich a great thrial ov shkill. At last, says the
Pope--the blessed man! only think how 'cute it was ov him!--"Domine
Maguire," says he, "valde desidhero, certiorem fieri de significatione
istius verbi _eversor_ quo jam jam usus es"--(well, surely I _am_ the
boy for the Latin!)

"_Eversor_, id est cyathus," says his Riv'rence, "nam apud nos
_tumbleri_, seu eversores, dicti sunt ab evertendo ceremoniam inter
amicos; non, ut Temperantiae Societatis frigidis fautoribus placet, ab
evertendis ipsis potatoribus." (It's not every masther undher the Boord,
I tell you, could carry such a car-load ov the dead langidges.) "In agro
vero Louthiano et Midensi," says he, "nomine gaudent quodam secundum
linguam Anglicanum significante bombardam seu tormentum; quia ex eis
tanquam ex telis jaculatoriis liquorem faucibus immittere solent. Etiam
inter haereticos illos melanostomos" (that was a touch of Greek).
"Presbyterianos Sep