ray his brethren.

"About nine o'clock the business of the Lodge had been despatched,
and in a few minutes I received an intimation to enter from the Deputy
Master, who was no other than the redoubtable and heroic Phil himself;
the father having been prevented from coming, it appeared, by sudden
indisposition. As I entered, they were all seated, to the number of
thirty-five or forty, about a long table, from which rose, reeking and
warm, the powerful exhalations of strong punch. On paying my respects, I
was received and presented to them by Phil, who on this occasion, was
in great feather, being rigged out in all the paraphernalia of Deputy
Master. The rest, also, were dressed in their orange robes, which
certainly gave them a good deal of imposing effect.

"'Gentlemen,' said Phil,--'Bob Sparrow, I'll trouble you to touch the
bell, and be d--d to you--gentlemen, this is a particular friend of mine
and my father's--that is, we intend to make a good deal of interest in
him, if it's not his own fault, and to push him on in a way that may
serve him--but, then, he's in the dark yet; however, I hope he won't be
long so. This, gentlemen, is Mr. Weasel from England, who has come over
to see the country.'

"'Your health, Mr. Weasel,' resounded from all sides, 'you're welcome
among us, and so is every friend of brother Captain Phil's.'

"'Gentlemen,' said I,' I feel much obliged for the cordiality of your
reception--but, allow me to say, that Mr. M'Clutchy has made a slight
mistake in my name, which is Easel, not Weasel.'

"'Never mind, sir,' they replied, among a jingle of glasses, which
almost prevented me from being heard, 'never mind, Mr. Evil, we don't
care a curse what your name is, provided you're a good Protestant. Your
name may be Belzebub, instead of Evil, or Devil, for that matter--all we
want to know is, whether you're staunch and of the right metal.'

"'That, gentlemen,' I replied, 'I trust time will tell'

"'I shall be very proud--I speak it not, I hope, in a worldly sense,'
said a little thin man dressed in black--'no, not in a worldly sense I
shall be proud, sir, of your acquaintance. To me it is quite sufficient
that you are here as the friend of my excellent friend, Mr. Valentine
M'Clutchy; a man, I trust, not without a deep and searching spirit of--'

"'Come, Solomon,' said a large, broad-shouldered man, with a face in
which were singularly blended the almost incompatible principles of fun
and ferocity,