ery word of it."

"Either he's a much greater fool than he looks," said Dr. O'Grady, "or
else--but I'll find that out afterwards. Go on with your story, Thady.
What happened next?"

"Well, after he'd cried about a saucerful----"

"I thought you said he didn't actually cry?"

"It was like as if he was going to cry. I told you that before."

"Come on, O'Grady," said the Major. "What's the use of listening to this
sort of stuff?"

"Be quiet, Major," said Dr. O'Grady. "We're just coming to the point.
Go ahead, Thady. You'd just got to the saucerful of tears. When he'd
emptied that out, what did he do?"

"He asked me," said Gallagher, "was there any relatives or friends of
the General surviving in the locality? He had me beat there."

"I hope you told him there were several," said Dr. O'Grady.

"I did, of course. Is it likely I'd disappoint the gentleman, and him
set on finding someone belonging to the General? 'Who are they?' said
he. 'Tell me their names,' Well, it was there I made the mistake."

"It was a bit awkward," said Dr. O'Grady, "when you didn't know who the
General was."

"What I thought to myself," said Gallagher, "was this. There might be
many a one in the locality that would be glad enough to be a cousin of
the General's, even if there was no money to be got out of it, and it
could be that there would. But, not knowing much about the General, I
wasn't easy in my mind for fear that anybody I named might be terrible
angry with me after for giving them a cousin that might be some sort of
a disgrace to the family----"

"I see now," said Dr. O'Grady. "You thought it safer to name somebody
who didn't exist. But what made you think of a wife for young Kerrigan?"

"It was the first thing came into my head," said Gallagher, "and I was
that flustered I said it without thinking."

"Well, how did he take it?"

"He was mighty pleased, so he was. 'Take me to her,' he said. 'Take me
to see her this minute,' Well, to be sure I couldn't do that."

"You could not," said Dr. O'Grady. "Could he, Major?"

"I don't see why not. He might have hired some girl for half an hour."

"No decent girl would do it," said Gallagher, "and anyway I wouldn't
have had the time, for he had me in the motor again before I knew where
he was and 'Show me the way to the house,' says he. 'You can't see her
at the present time,' says I, 'though you may later,' 'And why not?'
says he. 'The reason why you can't,' says I, 'is a delicate