ed quite impossible that an Irish dispensary doctor could be
trying to poke fun at him. He supposed that Dr. O'Grady was lamentably
ignorant.

"I am here," he said, "at His Excellency's express command----"

"Quite so," said Dr. O'Grady. "We understand. You're his representative.
He was pretty well bound to send somebody considering the way he's
treated us, telegraphing at the last moment. We're quite ready to make
excuses for him, of course, if he's got a sudden attack of influenza
or anything of that sort. At the same time he ought to have come unless
he's very bad indeed. However, as you're here, we may as well be getting
on with the business. Where's Doyle?"

Doyle was just behind him. He was, in fact, plucking at Dr. O'Grady's
sleeve. He leaned forward and whispered:

"Speak a word to the gentleman about the pier. He's a high up gentleman
surely, and if you speak to him he'll use his influence with the
Lord-Lieutenant."

"Be quiet, Doyle," said Dr. O'Grady. "Go off and get the bouquet as
quick as you can and give it to Mrs. Gregg."

Lord Alfred Blakeney, who had gasped with astonishment at the end of Dr.
O'Grady's last speech to him, recovered his dignity with an effort.

"You evidently don't understand that I have come here, at the
Lord-Lieutenant's express command----"

"You said that before," said Dr. O'Grady.

"To ask for--in fact to demand an explanation of----"

"I should have thought that you'd have offered some sort of explanation
to us. After all, we've been rather badly treated and----"

"An explanation," said Lord Alfred sternly, "if any explanation is
possible, of the extraordinary hoax which you've seen fit to play on His
Excellency."

A group of spectators formed a circle round Dr. O'Grady and Lord Alfred.
Father McCormack, puzzled and anxious, stood beside Mrs. Gregg. The
Major was at a little distance from them. Mary Ellen stood almost alone
beside the statue. The children of the town, attracted by some new
excitement, had left her, and in spite of Sergeant Colgan, were pushing
their way towards Lord Alfred. Dr. O'Grady looked round him and frowned
at the people.

Then he took Lord Alfred by the arm and led him away to a corner of the
square near the police barrack where there were very few people.

"Now," he said, "we can talk in peace. It's impossible to discuss
anything in the middle of a crowd. You seem to think that the
Lord-Lieutenant has some sort of grievance against us. Wha