28 'OLD q' 



ensrraved with his own name and title, and the date 

 and year of demise, which was the actual day, as yet 

 scarcely warm ! 



The Earl at once approached his facetious an- 

 tagonist, and, in faltering accents, upbraided him 

 for so unseemly a proceeding. To the tremulous 

 expressions of his trembling antagonist the ec- 

 centric Irishman replied: 'Why, my dear fellow, 

 you are of course aware that I never miss my man ; 

 and, as I find myself in excellent trim for sport 

 this morning, I have not a shadow of doubt upon 

 my mind but this oaken box will shortly be better 

 calculated for you than your present dress,' 



This cool assertion of ' form,' together with the well- 

 known duelling skill of his opponent, accentuated 

 by the presence of the gruesome coffin, appealed 

 more powerfully to his lordship's desire for life than 

 whatever glory might appertain to the happy de- 

 spatch of a brother peer. 



However, Lord March did not halt for a moment 

 between two opinions, but at once made a full 

 and complete apology to his opponent, which was 

 graciously accepted. 



Such is the recorded version of an affair which I 

 cannot bring myself to believe had any existence 

 in fact, so far as its base character is concerned. 



