Nutter, balked of his gentlemanlike satisfaction, stared with a horrified but somewhat foolish countenance from Puddock to O'Flaherty.
'And now, Thir,' pursued Puddock, addressing himself to Mr. Mahony, 'if Mr. Nutter desires to postpone the combat, I consent; if not, I offer mythelf to maintain it inthead of my printhipal.'
And so he made another low bow, and stood bareheaded, hat in hand, with his right hand on his sword hilt.
'Upon my honour, Captain Puddock, it's precisely what I was going to propose myself, Sir,' said Mahony, with great alacrity; 'as the only way left us of getting honourably out of the great embarrassment in which we are placed by the premature _death_-struggles of your friend; for nothing, Mr. Puddock, but being _bonâ fide in articulo mortis_, can palliate his conduct.'
'My dear Puddock,' whispered Devereux, in his ear, 'surely you would not kill Nutter to oblige two such brutes as these?' indicating by a glance Nutter's splendid second and the magnanimous O'Flaherty, who was still sitting speechless upon the ground.
'Captain Puddock,' pursued that mirror of courtesy, Mr. Patrick Mahony, of Muckafubble, who, by-the-bye, persisted in giving him his captaincy, may I enquire who's _your_ friend upon this unexpected turn of affairs?'
'There's no need, Sir,' said Nutter, dryly and stoutly, 'I would not hurt a hair of your head, Lieutenant Puddock.'
'Do you hear him?' panted O'Flaherty, for the first time articulate, and stung by the unfortunate phrase--it seemed fated that Nutter should not open his lips without making some allusion to human hair: 'do you _hear_ him, Puddock? Mr. Nutter--(he spoke with great difficulty, and in jerks)--Sir--Mr. Nutter--you shall--ugh--you shall render a strict accow-ow-oh-im-m-m!'
The sound was smothered under his compressed lips, his face wrung itself again crimson with a hideous squeeze, and Puddock thought the moment of his dissolution was come, and almost wished it over.
'Don't try to speak--pray, Sir, don't--there--there, now,' urged Puddock, distractedly; but the injunction was unnecessary.
'Mr. Nutter,' said his second sulkily, 'I don't see anything to satisfy your outraged honour in the curious spectacle of that gentleman sitting on the ground making faces; we came here not to trifle, but, as I conceive, to dispatch business, Sir.'