make your mind easy."

Gallagher's mind was very far from being easy, but he saw that he was
not likely to get any more information out of Constable Moriarty. He
crossed the road and entered the hotel. Doyle was in the commercial room
trying to induce Mary Ellen to sweep the floor. It was in the commercial
room that the meeting of the Committee was to be held that afternoon.
Doyle wanted some, if not all, of the dirt removed from the floor
beforehand.

"What tune's that young Kerrigan's playing?" said Gallagher.

"I don't know," said Doyle. "I've more to do than to be listening to
tunes. Mary Ellen, can you not see that there's three corks out of
porter bottles underneath the table? Will you take them out of it now,
like a good girl?"

"I'm not satisfied in my mind about that tune," said Gallagher.

"What harm is there in it?"

"I don't know yet is there any harm, but I don't like it, and I'd be
glad if I knew what tune it is. I have it in my mind that it's a tune
that ought not to be played."

"Mary Ellen," said Doyle, "what tune is it that young Kerrigan's
playing?"

"How would I know?" said Mary Ellen.

"Well, put down that sweeping brush," said Doyle. "For all the good
you're doing with it you might as well never have taken it up. I never
seen such a girl. Put it down now and run across to Constable Moriarty,
who's standing at the door of the barrack----"

"I'd be ashamed," said Mary Ellen, "so I would."

"If you're not ashamed of the state this room's in," said Doyle, "it
would take more than Moriarty to shame you. Run along now, when you're
bid, and ask him what tune it is that Kerrigan's playing."

Mary Ellen, who hoped that the interruption might put an end to the
sweeping once for all, left the room.

"If there's one in the town that knows the tune," said Doyle, "it'll be
Moriarty. I'd say myself that he must know pretty near every tune there
is in the world."

"He might tell her," said Gallagher, "or he might not. I was talking to
him this minute and he wouldn't tell me."

"He'll tell Mary Ellen," said Doyle. "He's always after that girl, and
it's my belief he'll tell her anything that she'd ask him. There's some
that's took that way. Foolishness I call it."

"It's the way he wouldn't tell me when I asked him," said Gallagher,
"that and the grin on his face when he saw me that has me sure that
there's some insult intended to the people of this town with that tune.
It's what I wouldn't stan