ry as
fleas on a dog. Hardly ever a man would turn round without he'd have one
of them asking him what he was doing it for."

For once Gallagher had spoken in a way that was acceptable to the other
members of the committee. There was a general murmur of assent. Everyone
present was more or less conscious of the enormous numbers of inspectors
in Ireland. Even Major Kent, who had been in a bad temper all along,
brightened up a little.

"I was reading a paper the other day," he said, "that 80 per cent, of
the adult population of Leinster, Munster and Connacht, were paid by the
Government to teach the other people how to get their livings, and to
see that they did what they were told. That included schoolmasters."

"I shouldn't wonder now," said Father McCormack, "that those figures
would be about right."

"It was only the week before last," said Doyle, "that there was a
man stopping in my hotel, a man that looked as if he was earning a
comfortable salary, and he----"

Doyle spoke in the tone of a man who is going to tell a long and
leisurely story. Dr. O'Grady, who had heard the story before,
interrupted him.

"Of course we'd have to talk to the inspector when he comes," he said.

"You'd do that, O'Grady," said the Major. "You'd talk to a bench of
bishops."

"I'm not sure," said Father McCormack, "that I quite see what the
doctor's getting at."

"It's simple enough," said Dr. O'Grady, "Suppose he offers us L500 for a
pier--he can't well make it less----"

"It'll be more," said Doyle optimistically. "It'll be nearer a thousand
pounds."

"Say L500," said Dr. O'Grady. "What I propose is that we spend L400 on a
pier and use the other hundred to pay for the statue and the rest of the
things we have to get."

"Bedamn," said Doyle, "but that's great. That's the best ever I heard."

Major Kent rose to his feet. He was very red in the face, and there was
a look of rigid determination in his eyes.

"I may as well tell you at once," he said, "that I'll have nothing to do
with any such plan."

"Why not?" said Dr. O'Grady.

"Because I'm an honest man. I raised no particular objection when you
merely proposed to make a fool of me and everybody else concerned----"

"You've done very little else except raise objections," said Dr.
O'Grady.

"--But when it comes to a deliberate act of dishonesty------"

"That's a hard word, so it is," said Doyle.

"It's not a bit too hard," said the Major, "and I say it again.
Di