ake don't say that at the meeting," said Mr. Townsend,
"or you'll be playing the priests' game out and out. Father Barney
has done all in his power to prevent the works."

"But what if Father Barney be right?" said Herbert.

"But he's not right," said the parson, energetically. "He's
altogether wrong. I never knew one of them right in my life yet in
anything. How can they be right?"

"But I think you are mixing up road-making and Church doctrine, Mr.
Townsend."

"I hope I may never be in danger of mixing up God and the devil.
You cannot touch pitch and not be defiled. Remember that, Herbert
Fitzgerald."

"I will remember nothing of the kind," said Herbert. "Am I to set
myself up as a judge and say that this is pitch and that is pitch? Do
you remember St. Peter on the housetop? Was not he afraid of what was
unclean?"

"The meaning of that was that he was to convert the Gentiles, and
not give way to their errors. He was to contend with them and not
give way an inch till he had driven them from their idolatry." Mr.
Townsend had been specially primed by his wife that morning with
vigorous hostility against Father Barney, and was grieved to his
heart at finding that his young friend was prepared to take the
priest's part in anything. In this matter of the roads Mr. Townsend
was doubtless right, but hardly on the score of the arguments
assigned by him.

"I don't mean to say that there should be no road-making," said
Herbert, after a pause. "The general opinion seems to be that we
can't do better. I only say that we shall come to grief about it.
Those poor fellows there have as much idea of cutting down a hill as
I have; and it seems to me that the young lad whom I left with them
has not much more."

"They'll learn all in good time."

"Let us hope it will be in good time."

"If we once let them have the idea that we are to feed them in
idleness," said Mr. Townsend, "they will want to go on for ever in
the same way. And then, when they receive such immense sums in money
wages, the priests will be sure to get their share. If the matter had
been left to me, I would have paid the men in meal. I would never
have given them money. They should have worked and got their food.
The priest will get a penny out of every shilling; you'll see else."
And so the matter was discussed between them as they went along to
Gortnaclough.

When they reached the room in which the committee was held they found
Mr. Somers already in the