That," said Meldon, "must have been a Nationalist."

"More damned lies," said Dr. O'Donoghue.

"And now," said the judge, "I meet you two gentlemen, one of you a
Nationalist and the other a Unionist--"

"Don't call me that," said Meldon; "I'm non-political. Nothing on
earth would induce me to mix myself up with any party."

"And you," the judge went on, "after comparing me in the most
flattering manner to the poet Milton, tell me that my life won't be
safe in Ballymoy. I'm inclined to think that the best thing I can do
is to go and find out the truth for myself."

"If it was simply a question of murder," said Meldon, "I should
strongly advise you to go on and see the thing through; but what we
have in mind is something infinitely worse. Isn't it, O'Donoghue?"

"It is," said the doctor; "far worse."

"Is it," said the judge, "high treason? That's the only crime I know
which the law regards as more malignant than murder. The penalties are
a little obsolete at present, for nobody has ventured to commit the
crime for a great many years; but if you like I'll look the subject up
when I go home and let you know."

"We're not talking about crime," said Meldon, "but drains. Doyle's
drains."

"I beg your pardon," said the judge. "Did you say drains?"

"Yes," said Meldon distinctly. "Drains--Doyle's drains. The drains of
the house you mean to stop in. I needn't tell you what drains mean.
Blood-poisoning, typhoid, septic throats, breakings out in various
parts of your body, and a very painful kind of death. For although
O'Donoghue will do his best for you in the way of mitigating your
sufferings he can't undertake to save your life."

"I'm pretty tough," said the judge, "and I'm paying a good price for my
fishing. I think I'll face the drains."

"I don't expect that you quite realise how bad those drains are. Does
he, O'Donoghue?"

"He does not," said the doctor.

"Then you tell him," said Meldon. "As a medical man you'll put it much
more convincingly than I can."

O'Donoghue cleared his throat.

"I've no doubt," said the judge, "that you can make out a pretty bad
case against those drains; but I'm going on to Ballymoy to catch salmon
if they're twice as rotten as they are."

"It was only last winter," said Meldon, "that Mr. Simpkins wanted to
prosecute Doyle on account of the condition of his drains. You
probably don't know Simpkins; but if you did, you'd understand that
he's not the kind of ma