m.

During the night he awoke many times, and the dream that had awakened
him continued when he had left his bed, and he wandered round and round
the room in the darkness, seeking a way. At last he reached the window
and drew the curtain, and saw the dim dawn opening out over the bog.

"Thank God," he said, "it was only a dream--only a dream."

And lying down he fell asleep, but immediately another dream as
horrible as the first appeared, and his housekeeper heard him beating
on the walls.

"Only a dream, only a dream," he said.

He lay awake, not daring to sleep lest he might dream. And it was about
seven o'clock when he heard his housekeeper telling him that the
inspector had come to tell him they must decide what direction the new
road should take. In the inspector's opinion it should run parallel
with the old road. To continue the old road two miles further would
involve extra labour; the people would have to go further to their
work, and the stones would have to be drawn further. The priest held
that the extra labour was of secondary importance. He said that to make
two roads running parallel with each other would be a wanton
humiliation to the people.

But the inspector could not appreciate the priest's arguments. He held
that the people were thinking only how they might earn enough money to
fill their bellies.

"I don't agree with you, I don't agree with you," said the priest.
"Better go in the opposite direction and make a road to the sea."

"Well, your reverence, the Government do not wish to engage upon any
work that will benefit any special class. These are my instructions."

"A road to the sea will benefit no one.... I see you are thinking of
the landlord. But there is no harbour; no boat ever comes into that
flat, waste sea."

"Well, your reverence, one of these days a harbour may be made, whereas
an arch would look well in the middle of the bog, and the people would
not have to go far to their work."

"No, no. A road to the sea will be quite useless; but its futility will
not be apparent--at least, not so apparent--and the people's hearts
will not be broken."

The inspector seemed a little doubtful, but the priest assured him that
the futility of the road would satisfy English ministers.

"And yet these English ministers," the priest reflected, "are not
stupid men; they are merely men blinded by theory and prejudice, as all
men are who live in the world. Their folly will be apparent to the