"'He spake. Pat Rokles heard, an' didn't
dacloine for till do it,
But tuk the mate-thray down, an' into the
foyre he threw it:
A shape's choine an' a goat's he throwed on
top of the platter,
An' wan from a lovely pig, than which there
wor nivir a fatter;
Thase O'Tommedon tuk, O'Kelly devoided
thim nately,
He meed mince-mate av thim all, an' thin he
spitted thim swately;
To sich entoicin' fud they all extinded their
arrams.
Till fud and dhrink loikewise had lost their
jaynial charrums;
Thin Ajax winked at Phaynix, O'Dishes tuke
note of it gayly,
An' powerin' out some woine, he dhrunk till
the health ov O'Kelly.'"
After this he read the description of the palace of Antinous in the
"Odyssey:"
"'For benchus heights ov brass aich wee wos
firrmlee buildid,
From the front dure till the back, an' a nate
blue corrinis filled it;
An' there was gowldin dures, that tastee
dome securin',
An' silver posts loikewise that slid the breezin'
dure in;
An' lovely gowldin dogs the intherrance wee
stud fast in,
Thim same, H. Phaestus meed, which had a
turrun for castin'.
Widout that speecious hall there grew a gyardin,
be Jakers!
A fince purticts that seeme of fower (I think
it is) acres.'"
I have but an indistinct recollection of the rest of the evening. If I was not sound asleep, I must have been in a semi-doze, retaining just sufficient consciousness to preserve the air of an absorbed listener. I had nothing but an innumerable multitude of visions, which assumed alternately the shape of Nora and of Marion. When at length I rose to go, O'Halloran begged me to stay longer. But, on looking at my watch, I found it was half-past three, and so suggested in a general way that perhaps I'd better be in bed. Whereupon he informed me that he would not be at home on the following evening, but wouldn't I come the evening after. I told him I'd be very happy. But suddenly I recollected an engagement. "Well, will you be at leisure on the next evening?" said he. I told him I would be, and so I left, with the intention of returning on the third evening from that time.
I got home and went to bed; and in my dreams I renewed the events of that evening. Not the latter part of it, but the former part. There, before me, floated the forms of Nora and of Marion, the one all smiles, the other all gloom—the one all jest and laughter, the other silent and sombre—the one casting at me the glowing light of her soft, innocent, laughing eyes; the other flinging at me from her dark, lustrous orbs glances that pierced my soul. I'm an impressible man, I own it. I can't help it. I was so made. I'm awfully susceptible. And so, 'pon my honor, for the life of me I couldn't tell which I admired most of these two fascinating, bewildering, lovely, bewitching, yet totally different beings. "Oh, Nora!" I cried—and immediately after, "Oh, Marion!"
CHAPTER XXI.
JACK ONCE MORE.—THE WOES OF A LOVER.—NOT WISELY BUT TOO MANY.—WHILE
JACK IS TELLING HIS LITTLE STORY, THE ONES WHOM HE THUS ENTERTAINS HAVE
A SEPARATE MEETING.—THE BURSTING OF THE STORM.—THE LETTER OF "NUMBER
THREE."—THE WIDOW AND MISS PHILLIPS.—JACK HAS TO AVAIL HIMSELF OF THE
AID OF A CHAPLAIN Of HER MAJESTY'S FORCES.—JACK AN INJURED MAN.
It was late on the following morning when I rose. I expected to see Jack bouncing in, but there were no signs of him. I went about on my usual round, but he didn't turn up. I asked some of the other fellows, but none of them had seen him. I began to be anxious. Duns were abroad. Jack was in peril. The sheriff was near. There was no joke in it. Perhaps he was nabbed, or perhaps he was in hiding. The fact that no one had seen him was a very solemn and a very portentous one. I said nothing about my feelings, but, as the day wore on without bringing any sign of him, I began to be more anxious; and as the evening came I retired to my den, and there thoughts of Jack intermingled themselves with visions of Nora and Marion.
The hours of that evening passed very slowly. If I could have gone to O'Halloran's, I might have forgotten my anxiety; but, as I couldn't go to O'Halloran's, I could not get rid of my anxiety. What had become of him? Was he in limbo? Had he taken Louie's advice and flitted? Was he now gnashing his splendid set of teeth in drear confinement; or was he making a fool of himself, and an ass, by persisting in indulging in sentiment with Louie?
In the midst of these cogitations, eleven o'clock came, and a few moments after in bounced Jack himself.