said Sir Timothy.

Mr. Courtney thought for a moment.

"You'll be adding on those two hours," he said, "not taking them
off----"

"You're an extraordinarily muddle-headed man, Courtney. Can't you see
that if I call it six when you say it's eight I'm taking off----"

"You're not. The way to look at it is this: A day is twenty-four hours
long. You say it's twenty-six hours. Therefore, you add on."

"I don't do anything of the sort," said Sir Timothy. "Look here, the sun
rises, say, at 6 a.m. You and a lot of other silly people choose to say
that it rises at 8. What I'm doing--I and the sun, Courtney--mind that.
The sun's with me---- What we're doing is taking off two hours."

The argument went on for some time. Its result was that Sir Timothy
and Mr. Courtney did not speak to each other again for a fortnight
Arguments, religious, political and economic, often end in this way.

During that fortnight summer time established itself, more or less, in
the neighbourhood. Mr. Courtney, the local bank, the railway company,
and the police observed the new time in its full intensity. The parish
priest and most of the farmers took a moderate line. They sacrificed
the twenty-five minutes of the original Irish time, but resisted the
imposition of a whole extra hour. With them it was eight o'clock when
the nine o'clock train started for Dublin. A few extremists stood out
for their full rights as Irishmen, and insisted that the bank, which
said it opened at 10 a.m., was really beginning business at 8.35 a.m.
Sir Timothy, dragging his household with him, set up what he called
actual time, and breakfasted a full two hours after the progressive
party.

The practical inconvenience of these differences of opinion became
obvious when Sir Timothy arrived at the Petty Sessions Court to take his
seat on the Bench just as Mr. Courtney, having completed the business of
the day, was going home for a rather late luncheon.

"No cases to-day?" said Sir Timothy, coldly polite.

"Oh, yes, there were, several. I've finished them off."

"But," said Sir Timothy, "it's only just the hour for beginning."

"Excuse me, it's 2 p.m."

"12 noon," said Sir Timothy.

"2 p.m.," repeated Mr. Courtney.

Sir Timothy took out his watch. The hands were together at the hour of
12. He showed it to Mr. Courtney, who grimed. Sir Timothy scowled at him
and turned fiercely to a police sergeant who stood by.

"Sergeant," he said, "what time is it?"

It is