, "_more suo_," with his legs supported
on two chairs, while he himself in chief occupied a third, his wig being
on the arm of that one on which he reposed; a very imposing tankard,
with a floating toast, smoked on the table, and a large collection of
pipes of every grade, from the haughty hubble bubble, to the humble
dudeen, hung around on the walls.

"Ha!" said he, as we closed the door behind us, and advanced into
the room, "and so you are penitent. Well, Hal, I forgive you. It was a
scurvy trick, though; but I remember it no longer. Here, take a pull at
the pewter, and tell us all the Dublin news."

It is not our intention, dear reader, to indulge in the same
mystification with you, that we practised on our friend Mr. O'Leary--or,
in other words, to invent for your edification, as we confess to have
done for his, all the events and circumstances which might have, but did
not, take place in Dublin for the preceding month. It is enough to
say that about eleven o'clock Mr. O'Leary was in the seventh heaven of
conversational contentment, and in the ninth flagon of purl.

"Open it--let me see it. Come, Hal, divulge at once," said he, kicking
the carpet-bag that contained our manuscript. We undid the lock, and
emptied our papers before him. His eyes sparkled as the heavy folds
fell over each other on the table, his mouth twitched with a movement
of convulsive pleasure. "Ring the bell, my lad," said he; "the string is
beside you. Send the master, Mary," continued he, as the maiden entered.

Peter Mahoon soon made his appearance, rather startled at being summoned
from his bed, and evidencing in his toilette somewhat more of zeal than
dandyism.

"Is the house insured, Peter?" said Mr. O'Leary.

"No, sir," rejoined he, with a searching look around the room, and a
sniff of his nose, to discover if he could detect the smell of fire.

"What's the premises worth, Peter?"

"Sorrow one of me knows right, sir. Maybe a hundred and fifty, or it
might bring two hundred pounds."

"All right," said O'Leary briskly, as seizing my manuscript with both
hands he hurled it on the blazing turf fire; and then grasping the
poker, stood guard over it, exclaiming as he did so,--"Touch it, and by
the beard of the Prophet I'll brain you. Now, there it goes, blazing
up the chimney. Look how it floats up there! I never expected to travel
like that anyhow. Eh, Hal? Your work is a brilliant affair, isn't
it?--and as well puffed as if you enter