“That shows,” said Dr. O’Grady, “that it’s a first rate statue. They wouldn’t let you put up anything second rate in a cathedral like that.”
“It must be a good one, surely,” said Father McCormack.
“But when the relatives of the deceased party went into his affairs,” said Doyle, “they found he hadn’t died near as well off as they thought he was going to; so they told my nephew that they wouldn’t take the statue and couldn’t pay for it. It was pretty near finished at the time, and what my nephew says is that he could make sure of having it ready for us by the end of this week at the latest.”
“Look here, O’Grady,” said the Major, “I’m as fond of a joke as any man; but I must draw the line somewhere. I’m hanged if I’ll be mixed up in any way with a second-hand statue.”
“It’s not second-hand,” said Dr. O’Grady, “it’s perfectly new. At this moment it isn’t even finished; I wouldn’t ask this committee to buy anything second hand. But you can surely see, Major—you do see, for you raised the point yourself, that with the very short time at our disposal we must, if we are to have a statue at all, get one that’s more or less ready made.”
“But—Good Heavens! O’Grady,” said the Major. “How can you possibly put up a statue of somebody else and call it General John Regan? It won’t be the least like him. How can you—the thing’s too absurd even for you. Who was this man that the statue was made for?”
“Who was he, Doyle?” said Dr. O’Grady. “It doesn’t really matter to us who he was; but you may as well tell the Major so as to satisfy him.”
“I disremember his name,” said Doyle, “and I can’t lay my hand on the letter; but he was a Deputy-Lieutenant of whatever county he belonged to.”
“There you are now, Major,” said Dr. O’Grady. “A Deputy-Lieutenant! Nothing could be more respectable than that. You’re only a J.P. yourself, and I don’t believe you’ll ever be anything more. You can’t afford to turn up your nose at a Deputy-Lieutenant. We shan’t be doing any injury to the General’s reputation by allowing him to be represented by a man of high position, most likely of good family, who was at all events supposed to be well off before he died.”
“I wasn’t thinking of the General’s reputation,” said the Major. “I don’t care a hang——”