the other day, and from what he said about the floods it was
easy to see that he believed it."

"If you believe Mr. Morris better than you do me, you may go your own
ways by yourself."

"I don't see that, Flory. I may believe Mr. Morris in this matter
better than I do you, and yet not intend to go my own ways by myself.
I don't believe you at all on this subject."

"Very well, then, don't."

"But I want to find out, if I can, what may be the cause of so
terrible a falsehood on your part. It has come to that, that though
you tell the lie, you almost admit that it is a lie."

"I don't admit it."

"It is as good as admitted. The position you assume is this: 'I
saw the gates destroyed, but I am not going to say so in evidence,
because it suits me to take part with Pat Carroll, and to go against
my own father.'"

"You've no business to put words like that into my mouth."

"I'm telling you what everybody thinks. Would your father treat you
as he does now without a cause? And are you to remain here, and to go
down and down in the world till you become such a one as Pat Carroll?
And you will have to live like Pat Carroll, with the knowledge in
everyone's heart that you have been untrue to your father. They are
becoming dishonest, false knaves, untrue to their promises, the very
scum of the earth, because of their credulity and broken vows; but
what am I to say of you? You will have been as false and perfidious
and credulous as they. You will have thrown away everything good to
gratify the ambition of some empty traitor. And you will have done it
all against your own father." Here she paused and looked at him. They
were roaming at the time round the demesne, and he walked on, but
said nothing. "I know what you are thinking of, Flory."

"What am I thinking of?"

"You're thinking of your duty; you are thinking whether you can bring
yourself to make a clean breast of it, and break the promises which
you have made."

"Nobody should break a promise," said he.

"And nobody should tell a lie. When one finds oneself in the
difficulty one has to go back and find out where the evil thing first
began."

"I gave the promise first," said Florian.

"No such promise should ever have been given. Your first duty in the
matter was to your father."

"I don't see that at all," said Florian. "My first duty is to my
religion."

"Even to do evil for its sake? Go to Father Malachi, and ask him."

"Father Malachi isn't the man to