n to take drastic action unless the drains were
pretty bad."

"And they're worse since," said O'Donoghue.

"It's extremely kind of you," said the judge, "to have come all this
way to warn me, and of course if I knew Simpkins I might, as you say,
act differently. But I think, on the whole, I'll go on and risk it.
If I do get a septic throat or anything of the kind I shall send at
once for Dr. O'Donoghue; and I shall ask you, Mr. Meldon, to write an
obituary notice for the papers in case I succumb. I am sure you'd do
it well, and you could put in all you said about Delilah and Mrs.
Lorimer. I shan't mind once I'm buried."

"You won't be able to say afterwards," said Meldon, "that you were not
fairly warned. We've done our duty whatever happens."

"You've done it in the most thorough way," said the judge, "and I hope
I shall see a great deal of you while I'm in Ballymoy."

"I'll just finish this chop," said Meldon, "and then O'Donoghue and I
must be off. We have a long ride before us. I'll tell Doyle to
sprinkle some chloride of lime in your bedroom, and to damp the sheets
with Condy's Fluid. I don't suppose it will be much use, but it's the
best we can do if your mind is made up."

CHAPTER XIV.

Meldon left the hotel and mounted his bicycle without speaking another
word. He rode rapidly out of the town, followed at some distance by
O'Donoghue, who was a cyclist of inferior strength and energy. For the
first four miles the road to Ballymoy goes steadily up hill. Meldon,
gripping his handle-bars tightly, rode at a fast rate. O'Donoghue was
left further and further behind. At the top of the hill Meldon had a
lead of a full quarter of a mile. Then the left pedal of his bicycle
came off, and he was obliged to dismount. He was working at it with a
spanner when O'Donoghue, breathless and in a bad temper, came up with
him. Meldon greeted him cheerfully.

"Obstinate old swine the judge is," he said. "You would have thought a
man like that whose business in life consists very largely in weighing
evidence, and who has been specially trained to arrive at sound
conclusions from the facts presented to him, would have seen the
necessity of giving up this ridiculous expedition of his to Ballymoy."

"Why did you ride on like that and leave me behind?" said O'Donoghue
shortly.

"If I were inclined to be captious and wanted to find fault," said
Meldon, "I might say why did you lag behind and leave me to rid