Some jocular allusion to the slow march of the procession had set them a-laughing; and O'Kelly said,—
“Talk as men will about the ills of life, see how tardily they move out of it.”
“That comes of not knowing the road before them,” cried Payne.
“Egad! they might remember, though, that it is a well-worn highway by this time,” chimed in Conway; “and now that poor Dick has gone it, who's to fill his place?”
“No very hard matter,” said O'Kelly. “Take every tenth fellow you 'll meet from this to Temple Bar, and you 'll have about the same kind of intelligence Harvey had. You gave him credit for knowing everything, whereas his real quality was knowing everybody.”
“For that matter, so does Jack here,” cried Conway.
“And capital company he'd be, too, I've no doubt,” added Payne.
A moment of whispering conversation ensued, and O'Kelly said, half aloud,—
“I 'll lay five hundred on it!”
“By Jove! I 'll have no hand in it,” said Conway.