th Doyle couldn't have kept
him in play till I came.... He's sure to have found out now that young
Kerrigan isn't married. This will make my explanation far more difficult
than it need have been."

"It will make it impossible, I should imagine," said the Major.

Mr. Billing, his hands in his coat pockets and a large cigar between his
teeth, came jauntily across the street. Dr. O'Grady greeted him.

"Good-evening, Mr. Billing," he said. "I hope you've had a pleasant and
satisfactory afternoon."

Sergeant Colgan and Constable Moriarty came out of the barrack together.
They joined the group opposite the hotel. Constable Moriarty was
grinning broadly. He had evidently heard some version of the story about
young Kerrigan's twins.

"I am sorry to find," said the doctor, "that Thady Gallagher made a
mistake, and a bad one, this afternoon."

"I reckon," said Mr. Billing, "that he kind of wandered from the path of
truth."

"Young Kerrigan isn't married," said the doctor.

"The twins," said Mr. Billing, "were an effort of imagination. I am a
man of imagination myself, so I'm not complaining any."

"Being a newspaper editor you have to be, of course," said Dr. O'Grady.
"But Gallagher's story wasn't pure imagination. It was rather what
I'd call prophetic. The fact is young Kerrigan is going to be married.
Gallagher only anticipated things a bit. I daresay he thought the
ceremony had really taken place. He didn't mean to deceive you in any
way. Did you, Thady?"

He looked round as he spoke. He wanted Gallagher to confirm what he
said.

"He's within," said Constable Moriarty, grinning, "and I wouldn't say
but he's having a drink. Anyway, here's Mr. Doyle."

Doyle, having supplied Gallagher with a bottle of porter, came out of
the hotel. He was naturally anxious to hear Dr. O'Grady's explanation.

"The twins," said Mr. Billing, "were considerable previous."

"Not so much as you might think," said Dr. O'Grady. "Once people get
married, you know, Mr. Billing, it often happens--generally in fact--not
necessarily twins, but more or less that kind of thing. I can quite
understand Thady making the mistake. And the girl young Kerrigan's going
to marry really is a grandniece of the General's. Thady was quite right
there."

"I'd like to see her," said Mr. Billing. "I'd like to take a photograph
of her. The Bolivian public will be interested in a photograph of
General John Regan's grandniece."

"Run and get your camera then