General John Regan

the resolutions which are the immediate excuse for oratory, that public meetings are absolutely necessary preliminaries to any enterprise. This is the case in all f

em, with drums and full dress speechifying, even if he were organising a secret society and arranging for a rebellion. H

o understood that in order to make a success of a public meeting in Connacht and therefore to further the enterprise on hand, it is

t man and therefore good-natured, did not want to refuse Doyle. But Father McCormack was not a free agent. Behind him, somewhere, was a bishop, reputed to be austere, certainly domineerin

ot, it might have been supposed, a good man to advise a priest on a delicate question of ecclesiastical etiquette. But the Major was eminently respectable, and his outlook upon life

r at this meeting the doctor's getting up or not. I'm not sure, I say. Can you t

I'm bound to say he looks like a Protestant. I don't k

hat I'm not a bigoted man. It wouldn't stop me taking the chair if he was a Protestant. It wouldn't stop me if he was a Presbyterian, and I can't say more than that. You k

the Major. "He's been here three da

er McCormack. "There's many a man gets drunk when he

said the Major, "for that's all I kno

ng, mind you; only there it is. But sure, if no one in the place has anything to say against the American gent

n Regan," sa

I never heard tel

ter of that,

as he

that. He's the only man who prof

e," said Father McCormack, "I woul

e," said the Major

hat I'm afraid of is that this fellow might be worse. For let me tell you, Major, there's worse thin

did not enable him to give any inf

e about him," he said we

se French atheists, or if he had any hand in hunting the nuns out of Portugal, the bishop

Dr. O'Grady. It's

nd I won't ask you another question.

a

g sixpence by going to a meeting he'd go, if it was held for the purpose of breaking the windows of the Presbytery. That's the sort of man Doyle is. And I wouldn't mind Thady Gallagher. Thady is a kind-hearted poor fellow, though he's a bit foolish at times; but he's n

lt it wrong to leave Father McCormack under the impression that he was go

at I wouldn't go near the m

ing against tha

etest all public meetings, and I wouldn't go to

of it? A man needn't go to

"I must; any man must, if

hat I've been keeping out of the doctor's way ever since Doyle asked me. I

He had just received answers to his letters from four of the most eminent Irish Members of Parliament He had asked them all to attend a meeting at

we are paying these fellows ￡400 a year each, and when we ask for a perfectly simple speech-- Oh, I beg your

e," said the Major, "to as

t all?" said

Born in Ballymoy. Rose to great eminence in Boli

said the Major, "that he was some

a ha'porth about him. All I said was that if he turned out to be that kind of a ma

eard or read a single word against his character as a religious man. He may have been a little--" Dr. O'Grady winked slowly. "You know the kind of thing I mean, Father

dn't," said

of course it's worse on active service. Come now, Major,

't," said the

rmack is listening to you anyhow. And you may take my word for it that the old

r McCormack. "I wouldn't mind that

were-and he had faults, of course-he wasn't that kind of man. So you needn't hesitate about taking the chair at the meeting, Fat

r that," said Father Mc

money, but I'll pay down ￡50 to any man who proves anything bad

you," said Fat

lating immoral literature-Sunday papers, for instance-or wanting

you," said Fat

or I've had a man looking up all that's known about G