sy. There are two old women with rheumatism expecting bottles
from me in the course of the afternoon."

"I'll fold up the camera," said Mr. Billing, "and start at once."

"Doctor," said Gallagher anxiously, "what'll I do when he starts asking
me questions about the General?"

"Answer him, of course," said Dr. O'Grady.

"How can I, when I never heard tell of the General till to-day. For the
love of God, doctor dear, will you tell me who he was?"

"Thady," said the doctor, "I'm ashamed of you. Aren't you a politician?
You are, and well you know it. Aren't you a newspaper editor? You
are, there's no use denying it. Don't you spend your whole life either
talking or writing on subjects that you know nothing about? You do. And
what on earth's the use of your pretending now that you can't answer a
few simple questions about General John Regan? There now, he's got his
camera folded up and he's waiting for you. Be off at once."

CHAPTER IV

Motor-cars are even yet far from common in the west of Ireland. They are
not, for instance, used in elections as they are in England. There
very seldom are elections in the west of Ireland; but even if these
entertainments were, as frequent as elsewhere motor-cars would not be
used in them. This is partly because the Irish voter is recognised
as incorruptible, not the kind of man who would allow his vote to be
influenced by a ride in an unaccustomed vehicle; partly because the
west of Ireland candidate for Parliament is not rich enough to keep a
motor-car himself, and has no friends or supporters who could lend him
anything more expensive than a horse. Therefore motor drives are an
unknown luxury to most Connacht men. Thady Gallagher, though he was
a newspaper editor, had never travelled even in the side car of a
motor-cycle. When Mr. Billing made it clear that he meant to go to the
General's birth-place in his large car everybody felt slightly envious
of Gallagher, and Doyle wished that he had not refused to join the
expedition. Gallagher himself was not elated by his good fortune. He was
embarrassed and depressed. He cast an appealing glance at Doyle.

"What am I to do, at all?" he said. "What am I to say to him when----?"

"If you've any sense," said Doyle, "you'll take a good long drive now
you have the chance. He doesn't know the way. What's to hinder you from
taking him round every road within ten miles of the town?"

But the prospect did not cheer Gallagher. He tried