'But hang it, there 'th no uthe in doing things by halves. Melpomene's the most jealous of the Muses. I tell you if you stand well in her gratheth, by Jove, Thir, you mutht give yourthelf up to her body and thoul. How the deuthe can a fellow that's out at drill at hicth in the morning, and all day with his head filled with tacticth and gunnery, and--and--'
'And 'farced pigeons' and lovely women,' said Devereux.
'And such dry professional matterth,' continued he, without noticing, perhaps hearing the interpolation, 'How can he pothibly have a chance againth geniuses, no doubt--vathly thuperior by nature'--(Puddock, the rogue, believed no such thing)--'but who devote themthelveth to the thtudy of the art incethantly, exclusively, and--and----'
'Impossible,' said O'Flaherty. 'There now, was Tommy Shycock, of Ballybaisly, that larned himself to balance a fiddle-stick on his chin; and the young leedies, and especially Miss Kitty Mahony, used to be all around him in the ball-room at Thralee, lookin', wondhrin', and laughin'; and I that had twiste his brains, could not come round it, though I got up every morning for a month at four o'clock, and was obleeged to give over be rason of a soart iv a squint I was gettin' be looking continually at the fiddle-stick. I began with a double bass, the way he did--it's it that was the powerful fateaguin' exercise, I can tell you. Two blessed hours a-day, regular practice, besides an odd half-hour, now and agin, for three mortial years, it took him to larn it, and dhrilled a dimple in his chin you could put a marrow-fat pay in.'
'Practice,' resumed Puddock, I need not spell his lisp, 'study--time to devote--industry in great things as in small--there's the secret. _Nature_, to be sure--'
'Ay, Nature, to be sure--we must sustain Nature, dear Puddock, so pass the bottle,' said Devereux, who liked his glass.
'Be the powers, Mr. Puddock, if I had half your janius for play-acting,' persisted O'Flaherty, 'nothing i'd keep me from the boards iv Smock-alley play-house--incog., I mean, of course. There's that wonderful little Mr. Garrick--why he's the talk of the three kingdoms as long as I can remember--an' making his thousand pounds a week--coining, be gannies--an' he can't be much taller than you, for he's contimptably small.'