grateechood. Consequintly, I
insist on bein' greetful. I hold iviry British officer as me personal
inimy; but, in you, sorr, I'm sinsible of a ginirous frind. Te've
seeved me loife, so ye have, an' there's no doubt about it. We'll weeve
politics. I won't spake of the Finians. Phaylim O'Halloran isn't the
man that'll mintion onsaisonable politics, or dwell upon uncongainal
thames, so he isn't."

"Well," said I, "Mr. O'Halloran, since you've introduced yourself, I
must give you my humble address. I'm Lieutenant Macrorie."

"Macrorie?" said he.

"Macrorie," said I, "of the Bobtails, and I assure you I'm very happy
to make your acquaintance."

We walked along arm-in-arm in the most friendly manner, chatting about
things in general. I found my companion to be very intelligent and very
well informed. He had travelled much. He expressed himself fluently on
every subject, and though his brogue was conspicuous, he was evidently
a gentleman, and very well educated too. I gathered from his
conversation that he had studied at Trinity College, Dublin, and that
he had been leading a desultory sort of life in the United States for
twenty years or so. Ho had been in Canada for something less than a
year, and was anxious to get back to a more southern clime.

Chatting thus, and arm-in-arm, we walked along. I had nothing to do,
and so I went with my new-found friend, with a vague idea of seeing him
safe home. Of course such an idea was preposterous, for he could have
got home just as well without me, but I had taken a fancy to my new
acquaintance, and found a strange charm in his conversation. He talked
incessantly and on many subjects. He discoursed on theology,
literature, science, the weather, the army, the navy, music, painting,
sculpture, photography, engraving, geology, chemistry, and on a
thousand other arts and sciences, in all of which he showed himself
deeply versed, and far beyond my depth. He had a brogue, and I had
none, but as for intellectual attainments I was only a child in
comparison with him.

At length we reached a house where he stopped.

"I'm infeenetely obloiged to ye," said he. "And now, won't ye koindly
condiscind to step in and parteek of me hospitalitee? It'll give me
shuprame deloight."

After such an invitation what could I say? I had nothing to do.
Accordingly, I accepted it in a proper spirit, and, thanking him for
his kind invitation, I went in along with him.

O'Halloran led the way in. It wa