e girl seems
to have been telling the truth. I think I mentioned to you the state
in which I found my bed last night."

"You said it was damp."

"Damp! I never said damp. Soaking is the word I used; or at all
events ought to have used. It was soaking with Condy's Fluid, as it
turned out, though I didn't know at the time what the stuff was. I had
an interview with the hotelkeeper himself, a ruffian of the name of
Doyle, about that. I had very nearly to break the bell before I could
get any one to come to me. It's a very odd thing, but he told me
practically the same story; said that this man Meldon, whoever he is,
had given orders to have Condy's Fluid poured all over my bed and
chloride of lime shovelled on to the floor. I did not believe him at
the time any more than I believed that miserable slut of a cook the
next morning. I was in such a temper when I left that I didn't think
of putting their two stories together; but going over the whole thing
this afternoon in my mind it struck me as rather peculiar that they
should both have hit on such a grotesque sort of a lie, if it was a
lie."

"Surely you don't think that Mr. Meldon--he's rather eccentric, I know,
but I can scarcely believe that he'd--"

"I'm not at all sure what I ought to think. It seems unlikely that any
clergyman, unless he is quite mad, and you say he's not mad--"

"No; he's not mad. He's peculiar. But he is certainly not mad. Major
Kent has the highest opinion of him, and Major Kent is quite sane."

The judge threw the end of his cigar into the fire and sat silent for a
minute or two. His mind was working on the curious series of events
which had followed his arrival in Ballymoy. He became very much
interested.

"Milly," he said at last, "I'll take your word for it that the man's
not mad. But how on earth am I to explain his actions? For I really
have no doubt that he's at the bottom of all I've been through. First
of all, he met me at the station at Donard, having travelled twenty
miles for the express purpose of trying to prevent my coming on here.
Now why did he do that?"

"Perhaps he really thought you'd be uncomfortable at the hotel."

"He seems to have done his best to make me uncomfortable, anyhow."

"And succeeded," said Miss King with a smile.

"And succeeded brilliantly. I don't in the least wish to deny that. I
never was more uncomfortable in my life. But what I want to know is,
what possible motive he had