Cashel Byron's Profession

"And served you right, too, you old stupid. You was wrong then; and

you're wrong now, with your blessed Paradise."

"Paradise has never been licked yet."

"No more has my boy."

"Well, we'll see."

"We'll see! I tell you I've seed for myself. I've seed Billy

Paradise spar; and it ain't fighting, it's ruffianing: that's what

it is. Ruffianing! Why, my old missis has more science."

"Mebbe she has," said Mellish. "But look at the men he's licked that

were chock full of science. Shepstone, clever as he is, only won a

fight from him by claiming a foul, because Billy lost his temper and

spiked him. That's the worst of Billy; he can't keep his feelings

in. But no fine-lady sparrer can stand afore that ugly rush of his.

Do you think he'll care for Cashel's showy long shots? Not he: he'll

just take 'em on that mahogany nut of his, and give him back one o'

them smashers that he settled poor Dick Weeks with."

"I'll lay you any money he don't. If he does, I'll go back into the

ring myself, and bust his head off for it." Here Skene, very angry,

applied several epithets to Paradise, and became so excited that

Mellish had to soothe him by partially retracting his forebodings,

and asking how Cashel had been of late.

"He's not been taking care of himself as he oughter," said Skene,

gloomily. "He's showing the London fashions to the missis and

Fanny--they're here in the three-and-sixpenny seats, among the

swells. Theatres every night; and walks every day to see the queen

drive through the park, or the like. My Fan likes to have him with

her on account of his being such a gentleman: she don't hardly think

her own father not good enough to walk down Piccadilly with. Wants

me to put on a black coat and make a parson of myself. The missis

just idolizes him. She thinks the boy far too good for the young

'oman you was speaking of, and tells him that she's only letting on

not to care for him to raise her price, just as I used to pretend to

be getting beat, to set the flats betting agin me. The women always

made a pet of him. In Melbourne it was not what I liked for

dinner: it was always what the boy 'ud like, and when it 'ud please

him to have it. I'm blest if I usen't to have to put him up to ask

for a thing when I wanted it myself. And you tell me that that's the

lad that's going to let Billy Paradise lick him, I s'pose. Walker!"