some talk with Sabina during the last few days, and
I've come to the conclusion that she's a young woman with a talent for
cooking of a very rare and high kind. There's nothing that girl
couldn't do if she got a little encouragement. Give her the smallest
hint and she acts on it at once."

"I wish to God then," said Doyle, "that you'd held off from giving her
hints, as you call it. Only for you I don't believe she'd ever have
thought--"

"I'm not speaking now of the paraffin oil business. You mustn't allow
that to become an obsession with you, Doyle. There are other things in
the world besides that judge's meals. As it happens, I was giving
Sabina a short lecture on the art of cookery some days before I heard
of the judge's arrival. I was speaking to her about the advisability
of knocking together an occasional omelette for you, or a nice little
savoury made of olives and hard-boiled eggs. I found her unusually
receptive, and quite prepared to follow up the ideas I put before her.
There was just one thing stood in her way--"

"Who'd eat the like of them things?" said Doyle.

"You would," said Meldon, "if you got them. But you won't, not from
Sabina Gallagher, because you're determined to sack her. And not from
any other cook as long as you pay the perfectly miserable wages you do
at present. You can't expect first-rate results when you sweat your
employees. That's a well-known maxim in every business, and the sooner
you get it into your head the better. You set yourself up here in
Ballymoy as a sort of pioneer of every kind of progress. You're the
president of as many leagues and things as would sink a large boat.
There isn't hardly a week in the year but you make a speech of some
sort. Ah! here we are at the hotel. Remind me some time again to
finish what I was saying to you. I must find out now what has happened
to the judge."

He leaped out of the trap and walked straight through the hotel to the
kitchen. He found Sabina there.

"Good morning, Sabina Gallagher," he said. "I hear you did exactly as
I told you. You're a good girl, Mr. Doyle is angry just at present,
and you'd better keep out of his way."

"He'll hunt me," said Sabina.

"He will not," said Meldon. "If you have the sense to keep out of his
way until he has cooled down a bit, and cook him decent dinners in the
meanwhile. I've spoken to him very strongly about you, and I don't
think he'll dare to push matters to extremities,