own loyalty gives much satisfaction here. I am, sir,
Your obedient servant,
JOHN MCNOWELL.

"You have confidence in the people's loyalty here?" asked Mallow.

"As great as in my own," answered Dyck cheerily. "Well, you ought to
know what that is. At the same time, I've heard you're a friend of one
or two dark spirits in the land."

"I hold no friendships that would do hurt to my country," answered Dyck
sharply.

Mallow smiled satirically. "As we're starting at daylight, I suppose, I
think I'll go to bed, if it may be you can put me up."

"Oh, Lord, yes! We can put you up, Mr. Mallow," said the old man. "You
shall have as good a bed as you can find outside the Viceregal Lodge--a
fourposter, wide and long. It's been slept in by many a man of place
and power. But, Mr. Mallow, you haven't said you've had no dinner, and
you'll not be going to bed in this house without your food. Did you
shoot anything to-day, Dyck?" he asked his son.

"I didn't bring home a feather. There were no birds to-day, but there
are the ducks I shot yesterday, and the quail."

"Oh, yes," said his father, "and there's the little roast pig, too. This
is a day when we celebrate the anniversary of Irish power and life."

"What's that?" asked Mallow.

"That's the battle of the Boyne," answered his host with a little
ostentation.

"Oh, you're one of the Peep-o'-Day Boys, then," remarked Mallow.

"I'm not saying that," answered the old man. "I'm not an Ulsterman, but
I celebrate the coming of William to the Boyne. Things were done that
day that'll be remembered when Ireland is whisked away into the Kingdom
of Heaven. So you'll not go to bed till you've had dinner, Mr. Mallow!
By me soul, I think I smell the little porker now. Dinner at five,
to bed at eight, up before daylight, and off to Dublin when the light
breaks. That's the course!" He turned to Captain Ivy. "I'm sorry,
captain, but there's naught else to do, and you were going to-morrow at
noon, anyhow, so it won't make much difference to you."

"No difference whatever," replied the sailorman. "I have to go to
Dublin, too, and from there to Queenstown to join my ship, and from
Queenstown to the coast of France to do some fighting."

"Please God!" remarked Miles Calhoun. "So be it!" declared Mallow.

"Amen!" said Dyck.

Once again Dyck looked the visitor straight in the eyes, and back in the
horizon of Mallow's life-sky there shone the light of