exceptin' whin 'tis right an' natural an' proper, 'tis wrong an' dhirty
to steal a man's wan child she not knowin' her own mind. There was a
Sargint in the Comm'ssariat who set my face upon e-vasions. I'll tell
you about that--'

'Stick to the bloomin' Captains, Mulvaney,' said Ortheris; 'Comm'ssariat
Sargints is low.'

Mulvaney accepted the amendment and went on:--

'Now I knew that the Colonel was no fool, any more than me, for I was
hild the smartest man in the rig'mint, an' the Colonel was the best
orf'cer commandin' in Asia; so fwhat he said an' _I_ said was a mortial
truth. We knew that the Capt'n was bad, but, for reasons which I have
already oblitherated, I knew more than me Colonel. I wud ha' rolled
out his face wid the butt av my gun before permittin' av him to steal
the gurl. Saints knew av he wud ha' married her, and av he didn't she
wud be in great tormint, an' the divil av a "scandal." But I niver
sthruck, niver raised me hand on my shuperior orf'cer; an' that was
a merricle now I come to considher it.'

'Mulvaney, the dawn's risin',' said Ortheris, 'an' we're no nearer
'ome than we was at the beginnin'. Lend me your pouch. Mine's all
dust.'

Mulvaney pitched his pouch over, and filled his pipe afresh.

'So the dhress-rehearsal came to an end, an', bekaze I was curious,
I stayed behind whin the scene-shiftin' was ended, an' I shud ha' been
in barricks, lyin' as flat as a toad under a painted cottage thing.