“She’s a good-looking one anyway,” said Patsy, “but mighty proud, I’d say.” “You may say that. I’d sooner she married the doctor than me, and that’s the truth.” “What’ll she do now,” said Patsy, “when she finds that the doctor’s gone and left her?” “It’ll be best,” said Jimmy, “if we keep it from her.” “How can you keep it from her when the man’s gone? Won’t she be asking to see him?” “There’s ways of doing things. What would you say now if I was to tell her that the doctor had gone off on a holiday for six weeks with the permission of the Board of Guardians and that there’d have to be a substitute appointed in his place? Would she be contented with that, do you think?” “She might,” said Patsy, “but she might not. She’d be wanting his address anyway.” “If she wanted it, it would be mighty hard to keep it from the like of that one.” “You haven’t got it to give, and so you can’t give it,” said Patsy. Miss Blow came downstairs as he spoke and walked up to Jimmy O’Loughlin. “Will you kindly have some luncheon ready for me,” she said, “at two o’clock?” “Certainly, miss, why not? Is there any particular thing that your ladyship would fancy, such as a chop or the like?” He reverted to the “ladyship” again, although he knew her name and degree. The girl’s manner seemed to force him to. She deserved something better than a mere “miss.” “In the meanwhile will you be so good as to tell me where Dr. O’Grady lives?” “Is it Dr. O’Grady? Well, now, never a nicer gentleman there is about the place, nor one that’s more thought of, or better liked than Dr. O’Grady. It’s him that does be taking his dinner up at the Castle with the old lord and attending to his duties to the poor the same as if he was one of themselves. Many’s the time I’ve said to him: ‘Dr O’Grady,’ says I, ‘if anything was to take you away out of Clonmore, and I don’t deny but what you ought to be in a less backward place, but if ever---- ’” “Will you be so good as to tell me where he lives?” said Miss Blow. Patsy Devlin interposed at this point of the conversation with an air of contempt for Jimmy O’Loughlin. “Can’t you stop your talking,” he said, “and tell the lady where the doctor lives?” Jimmy cast a venomous glance at him. “I will tell your ladyship to be sure. Why not? But it will be of no use for you to go to call on him to-day. Patsy Devlin here is after telling me this minute that he’s not at home.” Miss Blow turned to Patsy. “Do you know,” she asked, “when he’s likely to be back?” “I do not, my lady. But I’d say it wouldn’t be for a couple of days anyway.” “A couple of days! Where has he gone to?” “It’s what Mr. O’Loughlin there was just after telling me, your ladyship, and he’s the Chairman of the Board of Guardians, that the doctor did ask for leave to go on a holiday. But I wouldn’t say that he’d be away for very long.” “When did he ask for a holiday?” said Miss Blow to Jimmy O’Loughlin.