e R.I.C. hastily escaping into the
street.

"Well, well; how easy it is to frighten the police!" remarked the
Chairman, following them with a regretful eye. "I suppose, afther all,
we'd betther put a price on the sheep and have done with it. In my
opinion, when there's a difficulty like this--what I might call an
accident--between decent men like these (for they're both decent men,
and I've known them these years), I'd say both parties should share what
hardship is in it. Now, doctor, what shall we give Darcy? I suppose if
we gave him 8s. compensation and 2s. costs we'd not be far out?"

Dr. Lyden, already in the act of charging his pipe, nodded his head.

Sweeny began to fumble in his pockets, and drawing out a brownish rag,
possibly a handkerchief, knotted in several places, proceeded to untie
one of the knots. The doctor watched him without speaking. Ultimately,
from some fastness in the rag a half-sovereign was extracted, and was
laid upon the table by Sweeny. The clerk, a well-dressed young
gentleman, whose attitude had throughout been one of the extremest
aloofness, made an entry in his book with an aggressively business-like
air.

"Well, that's all right," remarked Dr. Lyden, getting lazily on his legs
and looking round for his hat; "it's a funny thing, but I notice that
the defendant brought the exact sum required into court with him."

"I did! And I'm able to bring more than it, thanks be to God!" said
Sweeny fiercely, with all the offended pride of his race. "I have two
pounds here this minute--"

"If that's the way with ye, may be ye'd like us to put a bigger fine on
ye!" broke in Mr. Heraty hotly, in instant response to Sweeny's show of
temper.

Dr. Lyden laughed for the first time.

"Mr. Heraty's getting cross now, in the latter end," he murmured
explanatorily to the general public, while he put on an overcoat, from
the pocket of which protruded the Medusa coils of a stethoscope.

* * * * *

Long before the arrival of the mail-car that was to take us away, the
loafers and the litigants had alike been swallowed up, apparently by the
brown, hungry hillsides; possibly also, some of them, by Mr. Heraty's
tap-room. Again we clambered to our places among the inevitable tourists
and their inevitable bicycles, again the laden car lumbered heavily yet
swiftly along the bog roads that quivered under its weight, while the
water in the black ditches on either side quivered in