General John Regan Part 43

Doyle was himself no less perplexed than everyone else. He was more acutely sensitive than anyone to the danger of financial disaster. But he was a man of cool judgment even in a crisis. He saw that Gallagher's presence was highly inconvenient.

"A bottle of porter, Thady," he said, "or maybe two, would do you good."

Gallagher made a strong effort to swallow, intending when he had done so to speak again. But the description Doyle gave of the inside of his throat and the thought of cool draughts of porter, had actually induced a very real dryness of his mouth. He turned doubtfully towards the hotel, walked a few steps and then stood still again.

Doyle caught a glimpse, through a momentary opening in the crowd, of Dr.

O'Grady, shaved, and very carefully dressed in a new grey tweed suit. He became more than ever anxious to get Gallagher into the hotel.

"If you fancy a gla.s.s of whisky, Thady," he said, "it's in there for you and welcome. There'll be no tunes played here for the next half hour, anyway, so you needn't be afraid to go."

He took Gallagher by the arm as he spoke and led him towards the hotel.

Gallagher went at first with apparent reluctance, but as he got near the door his steps quickened. Doyle did not leave him till he handed him over to the care of the young man who stood behind the bar while Doyle himself was absent.

Dr. O'Grady made his way through the crowd with gay confidence, smiling and nodding to his acquaintances as he went. The people had been slightly suspicious beforehand and feared that something had gone wrong with the arrangements for the day's entertainment. They were cheered, and their confidence was fully restored when they saw Dr. O'Grady was not in the least depressed. He smiled at Mary Ellen as he pa.s.sed her and winked at Constable Moriarty.

Mrs. Gregg, as soon as she caught sight of him, rushed to meet him.

"Oh, Dr. O'Grady," she said, "isn't it terrible? What are we to do? I wouldn't mind so much only that Mrs. Ford is delighted. But you'll be able to do something, won't you?"

"The first thing to be done," said Dr. O'Grady, "is to stop those children pulling the clothes off Mary Ellen. Would you mind, Mrs. Gregg, just running over and setting her shawl straight? Fix it with a pin.

It's horrid the way it is."

Mrs. Gregg went over to Mary Ellen. She was deeply interested in the girl's costume, and she still cherished a hope that Dr. O'Grady might manage somehow, even without the Lord-Lieutenant, to arrange for a ceremonial unveiling of the statue.

"Well, O'Grady," said Major Kent maliciously. "I suppose we may as well take down that statue. It's no particular use where it is, and it doesn't seem likely to help you to plunder the public funds."

"There will have to be slight alteration in our plans," said Dr.

O'Grady, "but I don't see any reason for postponing the unveiling of the statue."

"Do you know that the Lord-Lieutenant's not coming?" said Father McCormack.

"I had a telegram from his private secretary," said Dr. O'Grady. "I must say I think he might have let us know a little sooner. I was out early and I didn't get the message till an hour ago. Where's Doyle?"

"Doyle's making Thady Gallagher drunk in the hotel," said the Major.

"Good," said Dr. O'Grady. "That's much the best thing to do with Thady.

But I wish he'd be quick about it, for I want to speak to him."

"Here he is coming now," said Father McCormack.

Doyle, who had himself taken half a gla.s.s of whisky, approached Dr.

O'Grady with great courage and determination.

"If the Lord-Lieutenant isn't coming," he said, "and I can see by the look of you that you know he's not, who's going to pay for the statue and the rest of the foolishness you're after buying? That's what I'd like to know."

"Don't you fret about that, Doyle," said Dr. O'Grady. "That will be all right."

"How can it?" said Doyle. "If the Lord-Lieutenant doesn't come, and he won't, who's going to give us the money?"

"Leave that entirely in my hands," said Dr. O'Grady. "It'll be perfectly all right."

"That's what you're always saying," said Doyle sulkily. "'It'll be all right. It'll be all right.' Haven't you been saying it to me for the last two years? 'All right,' says you, and, 'It's all right,' whenever the money you owe me is mentioned."

"More shame for you then, Doyle, for mentioning it so often. I wouldn't say 'All right' or anything else about it if you didn't force me to."

"I'm dead sick of your 'All rights' anyway," said Doyle.

"Be quiet now," said Father McCormack. "Isn't the doctor doing the best he can for you? Is it his fault that the Lord-Lieutenant isn't here?"

"If you'll only stop growling, Doyle, and co-operate with me in bringing off the day's entertainment successfully??"

"Surely to goodness, O'Grady, you're not going on with the statue farce?"

"Of course I am. The only chance we have now of getting the money??"

"It's a d.a.m.ned poor chance," said Doyle.

"On the contrary," said Dr. O'Grady, "it's a remarkably good chance.

Don't you see that if we unveil the statue successfully, in spite of the way, the really scandalous way, the Lord-Lieutenant has treated us??"

"I wash my hands of the whole business," said the Major.

"You can wash them afterwards," said Dr. O'Grady, "but at present you'll stand in with the rest of us. After the way the Lord-Lieutenant has treated us over the statue he'll have to give us a rattling good pier.

He won't be able to refuse. Oh, hang it! Here's Mrs. Gregg again."

Mrs. Gregg had settled Mary Ellen's shawl. She had spoken sternly, with an authority borrowed from her husband's official position, to Sergeant Colgan. She was filled with curiosity and excitement.

"Someone must get her out of this," said Dr. O'Grady. "I can't settle things with her babbling at me.

"If there was a chance that she'd be wanting a drink," said Doyle, "but them ones wouldn't."

"Mrs. Gregg," said Dr. O'Grady, "excuse my mentioning it; but there are three hooks in the back of your blouse that aren't fastened. It's an awfully nice blouse, but as you have it on at present it's rather?rather?well degage."

"I started in such a hurry," said Mrs. Gregg. "The moment I heard??"

"If you go into the hotel," said Dr. O'Grady, "you'll find a looking-gla.s.s. You'll be able to inspect the bouquet too. It's in a jug of water under the counter in??? You take her, Father McCormack, and find the bouquet for her."

Father McCormack was not listening. He was looking at a large motor-car which had just drawn up at the far end of the street, leading into the square.

"It's him after all," he said.

"It's who?" said Dr. O'Grady, turning round.

The crowd which was pressing round the statue began to edge away from it. Men were standing on tiptoe, straining their necks to see over their fellows' heads. Everybody began to move towards the motorcar. A loud cheer burst from the people nearest to it.

"It's him sure enough," said Father McCormack.

"It's the Lord-Lieutenant," said Doyle excitedly. "Bed.a.m.n, but this is great! We'll be all right now."