He threw himself back in the chair, chuckled, and was silent.

"Mrs. Mulvaney," I said, "please take up the whiskey, and don't
let him have it until he has told the story."

Dinah Shadd dexterously whipped the bottle away, saying at the
same time, "'Tis nothing to be proud av," and thus captured by the
enemy, Mulvaney spake: -

"'Twas on Chuseday week. I was behaderin' round wid the gangs on
the 'bankmint - I've taught the hoppers how to kape step an' stop
screechin' - whin a head-gangman comes up to me, wid about two
inches av shirt-tail hanging round his neck an' a disthressful
light in his oi. 'Sahib,' sez he, 'there's a reg'mint an' a half
av soldiers up at the junction, knockin' red cinders out av
ivrything an' ivrybody! They thried to hang me in my cloth,' he
sez, 'an' there will be murdher an' ruin an' rape in the place
before nightfall! They say they're comin' down here to wake us up.
What will we do wid our women-folk?'

"'Fetch my throlly!' sez I; 'my heart's sick in my ribs for a wink
at anything wid the Quane's uniform on ut. Fetch my throlly, an'
six av the jildiest men, and run me up in shtyle.'"

"He tuk his best coat," said Dinah Shadd, reproachfully.

"'Twas to do honour to the Widdy. I cud ha' done no less, Dinah
Shadd. You and your digresshins interfere wid the coorse av the
narrative. Have you iver considhered fwhat I wud look like wid me
head shaved as well as me chin? You bear that in your mind, Dinah