"I'll have the guard haul you here."
"Then he'll have a mighty poor haul, as King James said when he caught the Orange troopers in the Boyne."
"I'll teach you, sir, to defy a commissioned officer!"
"I've learned that already; but if you're a school-teacher I'll decline the verb 'will' for you."
"Guard, hustle that beast forward."
"Guard, don't give yourself the trouble." And Barney arose nimbly and came to the grating. "O captain, dear, why didn't ye tell me there were ladies here? You could have spared your eloquence and your authority if you had told me that the star of beauty, the smile of angels, the—"
"Never mind, sir; be respectful, and wait till you're spoken to."
"Then, captain, dear, do you profit by your own advice; let the ladies talk. I'm all ears, as the rabbit said to the weasel."
But at this interesting point of the combat Jack returned, and, pushing-to the door, cried, as if in surprise, "Hello, Barney, boy, what are you doing here?"
"Diverting the ladies, Jack, dear, and giving the captain a chance to practice command, for fear he'll not get a show in battle." The roar that saluted this retort subdued the bumptious cavalier, and he affected deep interest in the whispered questions of one of the young women in the rear of the group.