“Asy, Dinny,” said his brother, with a good-humored but significant smile—­“larning may be very good in its place; in the mane time, lave the business in our hands rather than in your own head—­or if you have e’er a scrap of Greek or Latin that ’ud charm ould Sobersides out, where was the use of sendin’ for help?”

“I say,” replied Dennis, highly offended, “I’ll not tolerate vulgarity any longer; you must larn to address me in a more polite style.  If the animal—­that purblind quadruped—­walked into the mire, by what logic can you produce an association between her blindness and my knowledge of Latin and Greek?  But why do I degradate my own consequence by declaiming to you an eulogium upon logic?  It’s only throwing pearls before swine.”

“I didn’t mane to offind you,” replied the warm-hearted brother; “I meant you no offince in what I said, so don’t take it ill—­we’ll have Sobersides out in no time—­and barrin’ an extra rubbin’ down to both of you, neither will be the worse, I hope.”

“As to what you hope or despair, Brian, it could produce no other impression on the subtility of my fancy than pity for the man who could compare me—­considering the brilliancy of my career, and the extent of my future speculations—­to a quadruped like Sobersides, by asserting that I, as well as she, ought to be rubbed down!  And were it not that I confront the offince with your own ignorance, I would expose you before the townland in which we stand; ay, to the whole parish—­but I spare you, out of respect to my own consequence.”

“I ax your pardon,” said the brother, “I won’t offind you in the same way again.  What I said, I said to you as I thought a brother might—­I ax your pardon!”

There was a slight agitation approaching to a tremor in his brother’s voice, that betokened sorrow for his own impropriety in too familiarly addressing Denis, and perhaps regret that so slight and inoffensive a jest should have been so harshly received in the presence of strangers, by a brother who in reality had been his idol.  He reflected upon the conversation held on that morning in the family, touching Denny’s prerogative in claiming a new and more deferential deportment from them all; and he could not help feeling that there was in it a violation of some natural principle long sacred to his heart.  But the all-prevading and indefinite awe felt for that sacerdotal character into which his brother was about to enter, subdued all, and reconciled him to those inroads upon violated Nature, despite her own voice, loudly expressed as it was in his bosom.

When the family was once more assembled that night, Denis addressed them in a tone, which implied that the odium theologicum had not prevented the contrition expressed by his brother from altogether effacing from his mind the traces of his offence.