ough he might have said, "Here we are in a boat
together, and of course we are all very fond of each other." To
tell the truth, Father Columb was not a nice-looking young man. He
was red-haired, slightly marked with the small-pox, and had a low
forehead and cunning eyes.

"Yes, it is, a nice morning," said Herbert. "We don't expect anybody
else here, do we, Somers?"

"At any rate we won't wait," said Somers. So he sat down in the
arm-chair, and they all went to work.

"I am afraid, Mr. Somers," said Mr. M'Carthy from the other end
of the table, where he had constituted himself a sort of deputy
chairman, "I am afraid we are going on a wrong tack." The priest had
shuffled away his chair as he began to speak, and was now standing
with his hands upon the table. It is singular how strong a propensity
some men have to get upon their legs in this way.

"How so, Mr. M'Carthy?" said Somers. "But shan't we be all more
comfortable if we keep our chairs? There'll be less ceremony, won't
there, Mr. Townsend?"

"Oh! certainly," said Townsend.

"Less liable to interruption, perhaps, on our legs," said Father
Columb, smiling blandly.

But Mr. M'Carthy was far too wise to fight the question, so he sat
down. "Just as you like," said he; "I can talk any way, sitting or
standing, walking or riding; it's all one to me. But I'll tell you
how we are on the wrong tack. We shall never get these men to work in
gangs on the road. Never. They have not been accustomed to be driven
like droves of sheep."

"But droves of sheep don't work on the road," said Mr. Townsend.

"I know that, Mr. Townsend," continued Mr. M'Carthy. "I am quite well
aware of that. But droves of sheep are driven, and these men won't
bear it."

"'Deed an' they won't," said Father Columb, having altogether laid
aside his bland smile now that the time had come, as he thought, to
speak up for the people. "They may bear it in England, but they won't
here." And the sternness of his eye was almost invincible.

"If they are so foolish, they must be taught better manners," said
Mr. Townsend. "But you'll find they'll work just as other men
do--look at the navvies."

"And look at the navvies' wages," said Father Columb.

"Besides the navvies only go if they like it," said the parish
priest.

"And these men need not go unless they like it," said Mr. Somers.
"Only with this proviso, that if they cannot manage for themselves
they must fall into our way of managing for the