ine?" asked Jack Horan.

"As soon as Mrs. Fay can let us have the eatables," answered Murphy;
"and, by-the-bye, Jack, I leave the ordering of the dinner to you, for
no man understands better how to do that same; besides, I want to leave
my horse in my own stable, and I'll be up at the inn, after you, in a
brace of shakes."

The troop now approached the town. Those who lived there rode to their
own stables, and returned to the party at Mrs. Fay's: while they who
resided at a distance dismounted at the door of the inn, which soon
became a scene of bustle in all its departments from this large influx
of guests; and the preparation for the dinner, exceeding in scale what
Mrs. Fay was generally called upon to provide, except when the assizes,
or races, or other such cause of commotion, demanded all the resources
of her establishment, and more, if she had them. So the Dinnys, and the
Tims, and the Mickeys, were rubbing down horses, cleaning knives, or
drawing forth extra tables from their dusty repose; and the Biddys, and
Judys, and Nellys, were washing up plates, scouring pans, and
brightening up extra candlesticks, or doing deeds of doom in the
poultry-yard, where an audible commotion gave token of the premature
deaths of sundry supernumerary chickens.

Murphy soon joined his guests, grinning from ear to ear, and rubbing
his hands as he entered.

"Great news, boys," said he; "who do you think was at my house, when I
got home, but M'Garry, with his head bandaged up, and his whole body,
as he declares, bearing black and blue testimony to the merciless
attack of the bold O'Grady, against whom he swears he'll bring an
action for assault and battery. Now, boys, I thought it would be great
fun to have him here to dinner--it's as good as a play to hear him
describe the thrashing--so I asked him to come. He said he was not in a
fit state to dine out; but I egged him on by saying that a sight of him
in his present plight would excite sympathy for him, and stir up public
feeling against O'Grady, and that all would tell in the action, as most
likely some of the present company might be on the jury, and would be
the better able to judge how far he was entitled to damages, from
witnessing the severity of the injury he had received. So he's coming;
and mind, you must all be deeply affected at his sufferings, and
impressed with the _powerful_ description he gives of the same."

"Very scientific, of course," said old Growling.

"Ext