and a curate
set about removing the traces of blood from the floor.

When they came out into Grafton Street, Mr. Power whistled for an
outsider. The injured man said again as well as he could.

"I' 'ery 'uch o'liged to you, sir. I hope we'll 'eet again. 'y na'e is
Kernan."

The shock and the incipient pain had partly sobered him.

"Don't mention it," said the young man.

They shook hands. Mr. Kernan was hoisted on to the car and, while Mr.
Power was giving directions to the carman, he expressed his gratitude
to the young man and regretted that they could not have a little drink
together.

"Another time," said the young man.

The car drove off towards Westmoreland Street. As it passed Ballast
Office the clock showed half-past nine. A keen east wind hit them,
blowing from the mouth of the river. Mr. Kernan was huddled together
with cold. His friend asked him to tell how the accident had happened.

"I'an't 'an," he answered, "'y 'ongue is hurt."

"Show."

The other leaned over the well of the car and peered into Mr. Kernan's
mouth but he could not see. He struck a match and, sheltering it in the
shell of his hands, peered again into the mouth which Mr. Kernan opened
obediently. The swaying movement of the car brought the match to and
from the opened mouth. The lower teeth and gums were covered with
clotted blood and a minute piece of the tongue seemed to have been
bitten off. The match was blown out.

"That's ugly," said Mr. Power.

"Sha, 's nothing," said Mr. Kernan, closing his mouth and pulling the
collar of his filthy coat across his neck.

Mr. Kernan was a commercial traveller of the old school which believed
in the dignity of its calling. He had never been seen in the city
without a silk hat of some decency and a pair of gaiters. By grace of
these two articles of clothing, he said, a man could always pass muster.
He carried on the tradition of his Napoleon, the great Blackwhite, whose
memory he evoked at times by legend and mimicry. Modern business methods
had spared him only so far as to allow him a little office in Crowe
Street, on the window blind of which was written the name of his firm
with the address--London, E. C. On the mantelpiece of this little office
a little leaden battalion of canisters was drawn up and on the table
before the window stood four or five china bowls which were usually half
full of a black liquid. From these bowls Mr. Kernan tasted tea. He took
a mouthful, drew it up, sat