to the wall with
tacks, was a large coloured supplement, taken from an American paper.
It presented a famous boxer stripped to the waist in the act of shaking
hands with a dejected-looking opponent. Underneath his large picture was
a list of the boxer's most famous conflicts, with date and a note of
the number of rounds which each victim had survived. Round the central
picture were twelve small ones, in which the hero appeared in the act of
felling other fighters, not so heroic or less muscular. The Major, who
had done some boxing in his day, looked at the picture with critical
interest. Then Father McCormack entered the room.

"I'm in good time after all," he said. "I was afraid, maybe, the meeting
might be over when I saw Doyle and Thady Gallagher going into the office
of the Connacht Eagle after leaving Kerrigan's shop."

"You're time enough," said the Major. "If you're not more than
half-an-hour late it's time enough for any meeting that's held in this
town."

"That's true too," said Father McCormack. "As a general rule that's true
enough. But I've known meetings that was over and done with before the
time when they ought to be beginning. That would be when there might be
something to be done at them that some of the members would be objecting
to if they were there. I've known that happen, and I shouldn't wonder if
you'd been caught that way yourself before now."

"So far as I know," said the Major, "nothing of the sort has happened
this time. There's no reason why it should. When anything as silly as
this statue business is on hand everybody is sure to be unanimously in
favour of it."

"That's true enough. But where's the rest of the committee?"

"Nobody has turned up so far, except myself," said the Major.

"Well," said Father McCormack, "I'm as well pleased. To tell you the
truth, Major, I'm glad of the chance of a few minutes quiet talk with
you while we have the place to ourselves. I thought it my duty, and
you'll understand me that I'm not casting reflections on you nor yet
on the doctor, and I'd be sorry to say a word against Doyle, or for the
matter of that against Thady Gallagher, though it would be better if he
had more sense. But anyway, I thought it my duty to acquaint the bishop
with what was going on."

"The statue idea?" said the Major. "Well, what did he say? I don't
know your bishop personally, but I suppose a man could hardly be in his
position if he was altogether a fool."

"Believe me