at him with half-shut eyes and a lurking smile--in truth,
with the amusement of a man watching the transparent scheming of a
child. "As you say, the least said the soonest mended," he rejoined.
"So--who is to report it in the east?"

"I will, if necessary."

"If----"

"If you push me to it."

Asgill raised his eyebrows impertinently. "An informer?" he said.

Colonel John did not flinch. "If necessary," he repeated.

"That would be serious," Asgill rejoined, "for many people. In the
first place for the young lady, your ward, Colonel. Then for your
kinsman--and Mr. Ulick Sullivan. After that for quite a number of
honest gentlemen, tolerably harmless and tolerably well-reputed here,
whose only fault is a tendency to heroics after dinner. It would be so
serious, and for so many, Colonel, that for my part I should be glad to
suffer in such good company. Particularly," he continued, with a droll
look, the droller for his appreciation of the Colonel's face of
discomfiture, "as being a Protestant and a Justice, I should, ten to
one, be the only person against whom the story would not pass. Eh,
Colonel, what do you think? So that, ten to one, I should go free, and
the others go to Geordie's prison!"

Colonel John had not, to be honest, a word to say. He was fairly
defeated, his flank turned, his guns captured. He had counted so surely
on a panic, on the man whom he knew to be a knave proving also a
coward, that even his anger--and he was very angry--could not hide his
discomfiture. He looked, indeed, so rueful, and at the same time so
wrathful, that Asgill laughed aloud.

"Come, Colonel," he said, "it is no use to scowl at me. We know you
never call any one out. Let me just hint that wits in Ireland are not
quite so slow as in colder countries, and that, had I been here a week
back, you had not found it so easy to----"

"To what, sir?"

"To send two old women to sea in a cockboat," Asgill replied. And he
laughed anew and loudly. But this time there was no gaiety in his
laugh. If the Colonel had not performed the feat in question, in how
different a state things might have been at this moment! Asgill felt
murderous towards him as he thought of that; and the weapon of the
flesh being out of the question--for he had no mind to face the
Colonel's small-sword--he sought about for an arm of another kind, and
had no difficulty in finding one. "More, by token," he continued, "if
you are going to turn informer, it was a pity