―No, thanks, professor MacHugh said, waving the cigarette case aside. Wait a moment. Let me say one thing. The finest display of oratory I ever heard was a speech made by John F. Taylor at the college historical society. Mr Justice Fitzgibbon, the present lord justice of appeal, had spoken and the paper under debate was an essay (new for those days), advocating the revival of the Irish tongue.

He turned towards Myles Crawford and said:

―You know Gerald Fitzgibbon. Then you can imagine the style of his discourse.

―He is sitting withim T Healy, J. J. O’Molloy said, rumour has it, on the Trinity college estates commission.

―He is sitting with a sweet thing in a child’s frock, Myles Crawford said. Go on. Well?