er," said Dr. O'Grady, "you can tell us what he said in
your own words."

"What I told my nephew," said Doyle, "when I was writing to him, was
that the committee was a bit pressed in the matter of time, owing to
next Thursday week being the only day that it was convenient for
the Lord-Lieutenant to attend for the opening of the statue. Well,
gentlemen, by the height of good luck it just happens that my nephew has
a statue on hand which he thinks would do us."

"He has what?" said the Major.

"A statue that has been left on his hands," said Doyle. "The way of it
was this. It was ordered by the relatives of a deceased gentleman, and
it was to have been put up in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin."

"That shows," said Dr. O'Grady, "that it's a first rate statue. They
wouldn't let you put up anything second rate in a cathedral like that."

"It must be a good one, surely," said Father McCormack.

"But when the relatives of the deceased party went into his affairs,"
said Doyle, "they found he hadn't died near as well off as they thought
he was going to; so they told my nephew that they wouldn't take the
statue and couldn't pay for it. It was pretty near finished at the time,
and what my nephew says is that he could make sure of having it ready
for us by the end of this week at the latest."

"Look here, O'Grady," said the Major, "I'm as fond of a joke as any man;
but I must draw the line somewhere. I'm hanged if I'll be mixed up in
any way with a second-hand statue."

"It's not second-hand," said Dr. O'Grady, "it's perfectly new. At this
moment it isn't even finished; I wouldn't ask this committee to buy
anything second hand. But you can surely see, Major--you do see, for you
raised the point yourself, that with the very short time at our disposal
we must, if we are to have a statue at all, get one that's more or less
ready made."

"But--Good Heavens! O'Grady," said the Major. "How can you possibly put
up a statue of somebody else and call it General John Regan? It won't be
the least like him. How can you--the thing's too absurd even for you. Who
was this man that the statue was made for?"

"Who was he, Doyle?" said Dr. O'Grady. "It doesn't really matter to us
who he was; but you may as well tell the Major so as to satisfy him."

"I disremember his name," said Doyle, "and I can't lay my hand on the
letter; but he was a Deputy-Lieutenant of whatever county he belonged
to."

"There you are now, Major," said Dr. O'G