tranger accordingly entered
and seated himself at the fireplace, having never noticed that Casey and
myself, the only persons there, were in the room.

"'I say, Phil, who is he?' inquired Casey of the waiter.

"'Counsellor Mills, Captain,' said the waiter, and left the room.

"'That's your friend,' said Casey.

"'I see,' said I; 'and I wish with all my heart he was at home with his
pretty wife, in Leeson Street.'

"'Is she good-looking?' inquired Tim.

"'Devil a better,' said I; 'and he's as jealous as old Nick.'

"'Hem,' said Tim, 'mind your cue, and I'll give him a start.' Here he
suddenly changed his whispering tone for one in a louder key, and resumed:
'I say, Power, it will make some work for you lawyers. But who can she be?
that's the question.' Here he took a much crumpled letter from his pocket,
and pretended to read: '"A great sensation was created in the neighborhood
of Merrion Square, yesterday, by the sudden disappearance from her house of
the handsome Mrs. ------." Confound it!--what's the name? What a hand he
writes! Hill, or Miles, or something like that,--"the lady of an eminent
barrister, now on circuit. The gay Lothario is, they say, the Hon. George
------."' I was so thunderstruck at the rashness of the stroke, I could say
nothing; while the old gentleman started as if he had sat down on a pin.
Casey, meanwhile, went on.

"'Hell and fury!' said the king's counsel, rushing over, 'what is it you're
saying?'

"'You appear warm, old gentleman,' said Casey, putting up the letter and
rising from the table.

"'Show me that letter!--show me that infernal letter, sir, this instant!'

"'Show you my letter,' said Casey; 'cool, that, anyhow. You are certainly a
good one.'

"'Do you know me, sir? Answer me that,' said the lawyer, bursting with
passion.

"'Not at present,' said Tim, quietly; 'but I hope to do so in the morning
in explanation of your language and conduct.' A tremendous ringing of the
bell here summoned the waiter to the room.

"'Who is that--' inquired the lawyer. The epithet he judged it safe to
leave unsaid, as he pointed to my friend Casey.

"'Captain Casey, sir, the commanding officer here.'

"'Just so,' said Casey. 'And very much, at your service any hour after five
in the morning.'

"'Then you refuse, sir, to explain the paragraph I have just heard you
read?'

"'Well done, old gentleman; so you have been listening to a private
conversation I held with my friend here. In