“Ween” said the other, “'the stars, I ween,' I object to.”
“Don't you see the meaning of that?” inquired the doctor. “I think it is a very happy allusion.”
“I don't see any allusion whatever,” said the critic.
“Don't you see the poet alluded to the stars in the milky way, and says, therefore, 'The stars I wean'?”
“Bah! bah! doctor,” exclaimed the critical captain; “you are in one of your quizzing moods to-night, and it is in vain to expect a serious answer from you.” He turned on his heel as he spoke, and went away.
“Moriarty, you know, Miss Dawson, is a man who affects a horror of puns, and therefore I always punish him with as many as I can,” said the doctor, who was left by Moriarty's sudden pique to the enjoyment of a pleasant chat with Fanny, and he was sorry when the hour arrived which disturbed it by the breaking up of the party and the departure of the guests.
CHAPTER XXXIV
When the Widow Rooney was forcibly ejected from the house of Mrs. James Casey, and found that Andy was not the possessor of that lady's charms, she posted off to Neck-or-Nothing Hall, to hear the full and true account of the transaction from Andy himself. On arriving at the old iron gate, and pulling the loud bell, she was spoken to through the bars by the savage old janitor and told to “go out o' that.” Mrs. Rooney thought fate was using her hard in decreeing she was to receive denial at every door, and endeavoured to obtain a parley with the gate-keeper, to which he seemed no way inclined.