He only hugged his knees tighter, and slowly turned up his face, wrung into ten thousand horrid puckers, to the sky, till his chin stood as high as his forehead, with his teeth and eyes shut, and he uttered a sound like a half-stifled screech; and, indeed, looked very black and horrible.
Some of the spectators, rear-rank men, having but an imperfect view of the transaction, thought that O'Flaherty had been hideously run through the body by his solemn opponent, and swelled the general chorus of counsel and ejaculation, by all together advising cobwebs, brown-paper plugs, clergymen, brandy, and the like; but as none of these comforts were at hand, and nobody stirred, O'Flaherty was left to the resources of Nature.
Puddock threw his cocked hat upon the ground and stamped in a momentary frenzy.
'He'th _dying_--Devereux--Cluffe--he'th--I _tell_ you, he'th dying;' and he was on the point of declaring himself O'Flaherty's murderer, and surrendering himself as such into the hands of anybody who would accept the custody of his person, when the recollection of his official position as poor O'Flaherty's second flashed upon him, and collecting with a grand effort, his wits and his graces-- 'It'th totally impothible, gentlemen,' he said, with his most ceremonious bow; 'conthidering the awful condition of my printhipal--I--I have reathon to fear--in fact I know--Dr.Thturk has theen him--that he'th under the action of _poithon_--and it'th quite impractithable, gentlemen, that thith affair of honour can protheed at prethent;' and Puddock drew himself up peremptorily, and replaced his hat, which somebody had slipped into his hand, upon his round powdered head.
Mr.Mahony, though a magnificent gentleman, was, perhaps, a little stupid, and he mistook Puddock's agitation, and thought he was in a passion, and disposed to be offensive.

He, therefore, with a marked and stern sort of elegance, replied-- '_Pison_, Sir, is a remarkably strong alpathet; it's language, Sir, which, if a gentleman uses at all, he's bound in justice, in shivalry, and in dacency to a generous adversary, to define with precision.

Mr.
Nutter is too well known to the best o'society, moving in a circle as he does, to require the panegyric of humble me.

They drank together last night, they differed in opinion, that's true, but fourteen clear hours has expired, and pison being mentioned----' 'Why, body o' me! Sir,' lisped Puddock, in fierce horror; 'can you imagine for one moment, Sir, that I or any man living could suppose for an instant, that my respected friend, Mr.Nutter, to whom (a low bow to Nutter, returned by that gentleman) I have now the misfortune to be opposed, is capable--capable, Sir, of poisoning any living being--man, woman, or child; and to put an end, Sir, at once to all misapprehension upon this point, it was I--_I_, Sir--myself--who poisoned him, altogether accidentally, of course, by a valuable, but mismanaged receipt, this morning, Sir--you--you _see_, Mr.Nutter!' Nutter, balked of his gentlemanlike satisfaction, stared with a horrified but somewhat foolish countenance from Puddock to O'Flaherty.
'And now, Thir,' pursued Puddock, addressing himself to Mr.Mahony, 'if Mr.Nutter desires to postpone the combat, I consent; if not, I offer mythelf to maintain it inthead of my printhipal.' And so he made another low bow, and stood bareheaded, hat in hand, with his right hand on his sword hilt.
'Upon my honour, Captain Puddock, it's precisely what I was going to propose myself, Sir,' said Mahony, with great alacrity; 'as the only way left us of getting honourably out of the great embarrassment in which we are placed by the premature _death_-struggles of your friend; for nothing, Mr.Puddock, but being _bona fide in articulo mortis_, can palliate his conduct.' 'My dear Puddock,' whispered Devereux, in his ear, 'surely you would not kill Nutter to oblige two such brutes as these ?' indicating by a glance Nutter's splendid second and the magnanimous O'Flaherty, who was still sitting speechless upon the ground.
'Captain Puddock,' pursued that mirror of courtesy, Mr.Patrick Mahony, of Muckafubble, who, by-the-bye, persisted in giving him his captaincy, may I enquire who's _your_ friend upon this unexpected turn of affairs ?' 'There's no need, Sir,' said Nutter, dryly and stoutly, 'I would not hurt a hair of your head, Lieutenant Puddock.' 'Do you hear him ?' panted O'Flaherty, for the first time articulate, and stung by the unfortunate phrase--it seemed fated that Nutter should not open his lips without making some allusion to human hair: 'do you _hear_ him, Puddock?
Mr.Nutter--( he spoke with great difficulty, and in jerks)--Sir--Mr.Nutter--you shall--ugh--you shall render a strict accow-ow-oh-im-m-m!' The sound was smothered under his compressed lips, his face wrung itself again crimson with a hideous squeeze, and Puddock thought the moment of his dissolution was come, and almost wished it over.
'Don't try to speak--pray, Sir, don't--there--there, now,' urged Puddock, distractedly; but the injunction was unnecessary.
'Mr.Nutter,' said his second sulkily, 'I don't see anything to satisfy your outraged honour in the curious spectacle of that gentleman sitting on the ground making faces; we came here not to trifle, but, as I conceive, to dispatch business, Sir.' 'To dispatch that unfortunate gentleman, you mean, and that seems pretty well done to your hand,' said little Dr.Toole, bustling up from the coach where his instruments, lint, and plasters were deposited.

'What's it all, eh ?--oh, Dr._Sturk's_ been with him, eh?
Oh, ho, ho, ho!' and he laughed sarcastically, in an undertone, and shrugged, as he stooped down and took O'Flaherty's pulse in his fingers and thumb.
'I tell you what, Mr.a--a--a--Sir,' said Nutter, with a very dangerous look; 'I have had the honour of knowing Lieutenant Puddock since August, 1756; I won't hurt him, for I like and respect him; but, if fight I must, I'll fight _you_, Sir!' 'Since August, 1756 ?' repeated Mr.Mahony, with prompt surprise.