“What tune is that?” said Gallagher.
“What Mr. Gallagher’s meaning to say,” said Doyle, “is that party tunes is unsuitable to this locality where the people has always lived in peace and harmony, Protestant and Catholic together, and respected one another. That’s what Mr. Gallagher means, and if Constable Moriarty didn’t annoy him it’s what he’d say.”
“It’s a tune the doctor taught me,” said young Kerrigan, “and it’s a fine tune, so it is.”
“What’s the name of it?” said Gallagher.
“That,” said young Kerrigan, “is what I was meaning to ask the doctor next time he happened to be passing but if you’re in a hurry to know, Mr. Gallagher, you can ask him yourself. It’s likely you’ll be seeing him before I do.”
Young Kerrigan’s words were perfectly civil; but there was a look in his eyes which Gallagher did not like and the tone in which he spoke suggested that he meant to be impudent.
“I’ll take no back talk from you,” said Gallagher. “What tune is it?”
“I don’t know what tune it is,” said Kerrigan.
“You’re a liar,” said Gallagher. “You know well what tune it is.”
“Speak civil now, Thady,” said Doyle, “speak civil to the boy.”