The popular idol - 1876 Author:William Mackay Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER V. CONTAINS THE POPPING OF CORKS AND OF A QUESTION. ITTING saddlewise across a chair, his chin leaning on the back of it and his legs stretched out... more » in front of him, Michael Eugene Murphy was applying himself to the unaccustomed solace of champagne. He held a glass of the sparkling beverage before him, and winked at it contentedly. Murphy heeded not the allurements of the dance. He had noted down a rapid description of some of the dresses,observed the more prominent of the decorations, taken in the general appearance of the room, and then, as his custom was, had retired quietly to the supper-room where he purposed remaining for the rest of the night. Here The O'Banagher discovered him. The O'Banagher, as may be supposed, was in a fierce mood. A mood which would expend itself in confidences. He was not sorry to encounter Murphy in this solitary place. " Hope you're enjoying yourself, Mr. Murphy ?" he said. He then placed a chair opposite to that of his friend, and seated himself in the same fashion ; and so they sat face to face, chair-back to chair-back. Murphy smiled at the new comer ; it was the knowing smile of inebriety not yet arrived but gradually approaching. " Thank ye kyindly, O'Banagher," he said, in answer to the Senator's remark, " theliquor's good an' there's plenty of it, thems the two necessary conditions to my idaya of enjoy mint." "Indeed ?" " P'raps there's one other condition wanted to make the happiness complate." " And that is " " The company of an individual of gaynial sowl and refoined intellect, an' that I have in your prisence," replied Murphy, who rarely lost an opportunity of paying a compliment. " You flatter me entirely, Murphy, but if your felicity depends on me, I'm afraid you'll not be completely happy tonight." ...« less