III.
A BATCH OF CORRESPONDENCE.
About noon the constable received the following note:—
Sir,—Among the papers you so unwarrantably seized in your grossly illegal search at my house last night was a receipt for £24, being the amount of a half-year’s rent paid Sept. 15 to George Macgrabb. If it be not immediately returned, I shall at once take legal proceedings for its recovery, and if possible for your punishment. Yours, etc., Patrick McCarthy.
The constable sat down and wrote two notes. The first ran:—
Mr. McCarthy:
Sir,—I know nothing about any rent receipt. If you’ll come to the barracks you will get all your papers back, except a few suspicious documents I have felt it my duty to forward to Dublin Castle.
Yours, Thomas Gallagher,
Constable, R. I. C.
The second note was less short, but more mysterious:—
Mr. Macgrabb:
Respected Sir,—That infernal goose has got it. I saw it flying out of my window with one end of it in its mouth this morning. Anything that goose takes a fancy to swallow is done for. It has one of my old boots and a copy of the Constabulary Manual in its stomach already, so you needn’t be afraid that it won’t digest a piece of blue paper. I enclose you Pat McCarthy’s note. I’ll kill the goose, if you like to make sure. Your obedient and respectful