ton and boiling potatoes, which Frank knew were intended
especially for his own eating.

"Well, my girls, you are busy here," he said.

"Oh, yes, busy!" said Ada, who had put up her face to be kissed so as
not to soil her brother's coat by touching it with her hands. "How is
Rachel?"

"Rachel is pretty well, I believe. We will not talk of Rachel just at
present."

"Is anything wrong," asked Edith.

"We will not talk about her, not now. What is all this that has
happened here?"

"We are just boycotted," said Ada; "that's all."

"And you think that it's the best joke in the world?"

"Think it a joke!" said Edith.

"Why we have to be up every morning at five o'clock," said Ada; "and
at six we are out with the cows."

"It is no joke," said Edith, very seriously. "Papa is broken-hearted
about it. Your coming will be of the greatest comfort to us, if only
because of the pair of hands you bring. And poor Flory!"

"How has it gone with Flory?" he asked. Then Edith told the tale as
it had to be told of Florian, and of what had happened because of the
evidence he had given. He had come forward under the hands of Captain
Yorke Clayton and repeated his whole story, giving it in testimony
before the magistrates. He declared it all exactly as he had done
before in the presence of his father and his sister and Captain
Clayton. And he had sworn to it, and had had his deposition read to
him. He was sharp enough, and understood well what he was doing. The
other two men were brought up to support him,--the old man Terry and
Con Heffernan. They of course had not been present at the examination
of Flory, and were asked,--first one and then the other,--what they
knew of the transactions of the afternoon on which the waters had
been let in on the meadows of Ballintubber. They knew nothing at all,
they said. They "disremembered" whether they had been there on the
occasion, "at all, at all." Yes; they knew that the waters had been
in upon the meadows, and they believed that they were in again still.
They didn't think that the meadows were of much good for this year.
They didn't know who had done it, "at all, at all." People did be
saying that Mr. Florian had done it himself, so as to spite his
father because he had turned Catholic. They couldn't say whether Mr.
Florian could do it alone or not. They thought Mr. Florian and Peter,
the butler, and perhaps one other, might do it amongst them. They
thought that Yorke Clayton might pe