“That puts you in a safe position anyhow,” said the Major. “If it turns out afterwards that there is anything fishy about the General, the bishop and the Lord-Lieutenant will have to share the blame between them.”
“What I want to know from you,” said Father Mc-Cormack, “is this: Is the Lord-Lieutenant coming or is he not?”
“I’ve only got the doctor’s word for it. He says he is.”
“The doctor’s a fine man, and there’s not many things he’d set his hand to but he’d carry them through at the latter end. But the Lord-Lieutenant! The Lord-Lieutenant is—well now, do you think it likely that the Lord-Lieutenant is coming down here?”
“It’s not the least likely,” said the Major, “but there’s nothing about this whole business that is. It isn’t likely in my opinion that there was such a person as General John Regan. It wasn’t likely beforehand that we’d subscribe to put up a statue to him. I don’t see that the Lord-Lieutenant is any more unlikely than lots of other things that have happened.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” said Father McCormack.
He and Major Kent were standing together at the window while they talked. Neither of them noticed that Mary Ellen had come into the room. She stood for some time near the door, hoping that either the Major or Father McCormack would look round. Neither of them did, so she sidled slowly into the room and stood beside the stuffed fox. She was a very well mannered girl, and most unwilling to interrupt an earnest, possibly an important conversation. When Father McCormack made his last remark she felt that her chance had come. It was evident from the tone in which he spoke, that he and the Major had reached a more or less satisfactory conclusion of their business, She coughed, and then tapped lightly with her knuckles on the glass case of the stuffed fox. Both Father McCormack and the Major looked round.
“There’s a lady below,” said Mary Ellen.
“A lady!” said Major Kent. “Surely to goodness we’re not going to have women on this committee. Things are bad enough without that.”
“Who is she?” said Father Mctormack.