Part 19 (1/2)

”Devil the sign of believing any such thing there was about her when I left.”

”She may come to believe it later on,” said Dr. O'Grady, ”when she and Ford have had time to talk the whole thing over together.”

The doctor's servant came into the room while he spoke.

”Constable Moriarty is outside at the door,” she said, ”and he's wis.h.i.+ng to speak with you. There's a young woman along with him.”

”Mary Ellen, I expect,” said Dr. O'Grady.

”He's upset in his mind about that same Mary Ellen,” said Doyle, ”ever since he heard she was the niece of the General. It's day and night he's round the hotel whistling all sorts and??”

”You told me all about that before,” said Dr. O'Grady. ”Bring him in, Bridgy, bring in the pair of them, and let's hear what it is they want.”

Constable Moriarty entered the room, followed at a little distance by Mary Ellen. He led her forward, and set her in front of Dr. O'Grady. He looked very much as Touchstone must have looked when he presented the rustic Audrey to the exiled Duke as ”a poor virgin, sir, an ill-favoured thing, sir, but mine own.”

”If you want a marriage license,” said Dr. O'Grady, ”you've come to the wrong man. Go up to Father McCormack.”

”I do not want a marriage license,” said Constable Moriarty, ”for I'm not long enough in the force to get leave to marry. And to do it without leave is what I wouldn't care to risk.”

”If you don't want to marry her,” said Doyle, ”I'd be glad if you'd let her alone the way she'd be able to do her work. It's upsetting her mind you are with the way you're going on.”

”Is it true what they tell me,” said Moriarty, ”that the Lord-Lieutenant's coming to the town?”

”I think we may say it is true,” said Dr. O'Grady.

”To open the statue you're putting up to the General?”

”'Open' isn't the word used about statues,” said Dr. O'Grady, ”but you've got the general idea right enough.”

”What I was saying to Mary Ellen,” said Moriarty, ”is that seeing as she's the niece of the General??”

”She's no such thing,” said Doyle, ”and well you know it.”

”The doctor has it put out about her that she is,” said Moriarty, ”and Mary Ellen's well enough content. Aren't you, Mary Ellen?”

”I am surely,” said Mary Ellen. ”Why wouldn't I?”

”Look here, Moriarty,” said Dr. O'Grady, ”if you've got any idea into your head that there's a fortune either large or small coming to Mary Ellen out of this business you're making a big mistake.”

”I wasn't thinking any such thing,” said Moriarty. ”Don't I know well enough it's only talk?”

”It will be as much as we can possibly do,” said Dr. O'Grady, ”to pay for the statue and the incidental expenses. Pensioning off Mary Ellen afterwards is simply out of the question.”

”Let alone that she doesn't deserve a pension,” said Doyle, ”and wouldn't get one if we were wading up to our knees in sovereigns.”

”So you may put it out of your head that Mary Ellen will make a penny by it,” said Dr. O'Grady.

”It wasn't that I was thinking of at all,” said Moriarty, ”for I know you couldn't do it. My notion?what I was saying to Mary Ellen a minute ago?is that if the Lord-Lieutenant was to be told?at the time that he'd be looking at the statue?whenever that might be?that Mary Ellen was the niece of the General??”

”If you're planning out a regular court presentation for Mary Ellen,”