Doherty! How's that? I thought you were in all dear Finola's
secrets. Faith! I heard you were going out to fight for the Boers
yourself. I didn't believe it, of course. You wouldn't be such a
fool. But I thought you'd know that Doherty is one of the ten precious
recruits, or, rather, _was_ one of them.' He laughed loudly. 'He'll
fight on the other side now, if he fights at all.'

'What do you mean>' asked Hyacinth uneasily.

He was not at all sure what view the authorities in Dublin Castle might
take of recruiting for the Boer service, and Miss Goold's hints about
informers recurred to his mind alarmingly. Perhaps this Doherty was an
informer.

'Well,' said Halloran, 'I was in one of the police-courts this morning
doing my work for the _Evening Star_. You know I report the police news
for that rag, don't you? Well, I do. My column is called "The Doom of
the Disorderly." Rather a good title that for a column of the kind!
There didn't appear to be anything particular on, just a few ordinary
drunks, until this fellow Doherty was brought in. I thought I recognised
him, and when I heard his name I was certain of my man. He hadn't done
anything very bad--assaulted a tram-conductor, or some such trifle--and
would have got off with a fine. However, a military man turned up and
claimed him as a deserter. His real name, it appears, is Johnston. He
deserted six weeks ago from the Dublin Fusiliers.'

'How on earth did he impose on Miss Goold?' asked Hyacinth.

Halloran looked at him curiously.

'Oh, I shouldn't say he exactly imposed upon Finola. She's not precisely
a fool, you know, and she has pretty accurate information about most of
the people she deals with.'

'But surely------'

Halloran shrugged his shoulders.

'My dear fellow, I don't want to shatter your ideal, but the beautiful
Finola wants to work a revolution, and you can't do that sort of thing
without soiling your hands. However, whether he imposed on her or not,
there's no doubt about it that he was a deserter. Why, it appeared that
the fool was tattooed all over the arms and chest, and the military
people had a list of the designs. They had a perfectly plain case, and,
indeed, Doherty made no defence.'

'What will they do with him?' said Hyacinth, still uneasy about the
possibility of Doherty's volunteering information.

'I don't know,' said Halloran. 'I should think the best punishment would
be to send him out to Ladysmith. I dare say the Boers would