," said Dr. O'Grady. "I'll have her ready
for you by the time you're back."

Mr. Billing, looking very well satisfied and quite without suspicion,
went into the hotel.

"Doyle," said Dr. O'Grady, "fetch Mary Ellen as quick as you can."

"Is it Mary Ellen?"

"It is. Get her at once, and don't argue."

"But sure Mary Ellen's not the grandniece of any General."

"She's the only grandniece we can possibly get on such short notice,"
said Dr. O'Grady.

"I don't know," said Sergeant Colgan, "will Mr. Gallagher be too well
pleased. Mary Ellen's a cousin of his own."

"Thady will have to put up with a little inconvenience," said Dr.
O'Grady. "He got us all into this mess, so he can't complain."

"I beg your pardon, doctor," said Constable Moriarty, who had stopped
grinning and looked truculent, "but I'll not have it put out that Mary
Ellen's going to marry young Kerrigan. He's a boy she never looked at,
nor wouldn't."

"Shut up, Moriarty," said Dr. O'Grady. "If you won't call her, Doyle, I
must do it myself. Mary Ellen, Mary Ellen, come here!"

"What's the use of calling Mary Ellen?" said Doyle. "The girl knows well
enough she's not the niece nor the grandniece of any General. As soon
as ever you face her with the American gentleman she'll be saying
something, be the same more or less, that'll let him know the way things
are with her."

"If I know anything of Mary Ellen," said Dr. O'Grady, "she'll not say
a word more than she need on any subject. I never could drag anything
beyond 'I did,' or 'I did not,' or 'I might,' out of her no matter how
hard I tried, Mary Ellen! Mary Ellen! Ah! here she is."

Mary Ellen came slowly through the door of the hotel. She smiled when
she saw Dr. O'Grady, smiled again and then blushed when her eyes lit on
Constable Moriarty. Her face and hands were a little dirtier than they
had been earlier in the day, but she had added a small, crumpled, white
cap to the apron which she put on in honour of Mr. Billing. The sight of
her roused all Constable Moriarty's spirit.

"I'll not have it done, doctor," he said, "so there it is for you
plain and straight. I'll not stand by and see the character of a decent
girl----"

"Whisht, can't you," said Mary Ellen.

"Sergeant," said Dr. O'Grady, "this isn't a matter in which the police
have any business to interfere. No one is committing a crime of any
sort. You'd far better send Moriarty back to the barrack before he makes
a worse fool of himse