are four in Ballymoy," said the Major. "Reilly is the man who
works for me. If you feel like him, I'm sorry for you. He's generally
drunk at this hour."

"I refer," said Meldon, "to Longfellow's village blacksmith. You're
not a highly-educated man, I know, but I thought you'd have heard of
him.

"'The muscles of his brawny arms
Were strong as iron bands.'

It's a poem which most people learn while at school. I am sometimes
tempted to think that you never were at school."

"I don't see, J. J., that your muscles are anything particular to
swagger about."

"I wasn't referring to my muscles," said Meldon. "The resemblance I
speak of lies in the fact that I've 'earned my night's repose.' The
village blacksmith felt that he deserved his after listening to his
daughter singing in the local church choir. I've undergone an even
severer nerve strain. I've practically arranged the marriage between
Simpkins and the murderess."

"I wish very much that I knew exactly what you've been doing all day,
J. J. I always feel nervous when you go out alone. I never know--"

"I'll give you an exact account of my proceedings, if you like. First,
I had a personal interview with Simpkins; and I may as well say at once
that I was on the whole favourably impressed by him. I don't mean to
say that he ought not to be killed, but merely that if left to myself I
would not go out of my way to kill him. I next talked the matter over
with Doyle and Dr. O'Donoghue. I found that they quite agreed with
you; and the doctor is prepared to sign the death certificate as soon
as Miss King--who will then, of course, be Mrs. Simpkins--has finished
him off. I then called at Ballymoy House and arranged with Callaghan,
the gardener, to keep me informed of the progress of events. Finally,
I interviewed Miss King herself. I was unfortunately obliged to offend
her a little, and I expect she won't care about talking to me for the
next few days."

"Did you allude to the trial?"

"No. And she wouldn't have minded in the least if I had. She's quite
frank with me in talking about her art. The fact is, she wanted to
flirt with me, and of course I couldn't have that."

"Are you sure of that, J. J.? It seems to me very unlikely that a lady
of that sort would want to flirt with a clergyman."

"I'm not exactly an ordinary clergyman," said Meldon, "and she
certainly did want to flirt with me. I could see it by the expression
of her eye.