I

Soon after sunrise, on a cloudy morning in the year 1881, a special

messenger disturbed the repose of Dennis Howmore, at his place of

residence in the pleasant Irish town of Ardoon.

Well acquainted apparently with the way upstairs, the man thumped on a

bed-room door, and shouted his message through it: "The master wants

you, and mind you don't keep him waiting."

The person sending this peremptory message was Sir Giles Mountjoy of

Ardoon, knight and banker. The person receiving the message was Sir

Giles's head clerk. As a matter of course, Dennis Howmore dressed

himself at full speed, and hastened to his employer's private house on

the outskirts of the town.

He found Sir Giles in an irritable and anxious state of mind. A letter

lay open on the banker's bed, his night-cap was crumpled crookedly on

his head, he was in too great a hurry to remember the claims of

politeness, when the clerk said "Good morning."

"Dennis, I have got something for you to do. It must be kept a secret,

and it allows of no delay."

"Is it anything connected with business, sir?"

The banker lost his temper. "How can you be such an infernal fool as to

suppose that anything connected with business could happen at this time

in the morning? Do you know the first milestone on the road to Garvan?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very well. Go to the milestone, and take care that nobody sees you

when you get there. Look at the back of the stone. If you discover an

Object which appears to have been left in that situation on the ground,

bring it to me; and don't forget that the most impatient man in all

Ireland is waiting for you."

Not a word of explanation followed these extraordinary instructions.

The head clerk set forth on his errand, with his mind dwelling on the

national tendencies to conspiracy and assassination. His employer was

not a popular person. Sir Giles had paid rent when he owed it; and,

worse still, was disposed to remember in a friendly spirit what England

had done for Ireland, in the course of the last fifty years. If

anything appeared to justify distrust of the mysterious Object of which

he was in search, Dennis resolved to be vigilantly on the look-out for

a gun-barrel, whenever he passed a hedge on his return journey to the

town.

Arrived at the milestone, he discovered on the ground behind it one

Object only--a fragment of a broken tea-cup.

Naturally enough, Dennis hesitated. It seemed to be impossible that the

earnest and careful instructions which he had received could relate to

such a trifle as this. At the same time, he was acting under orders

which were as positive as tone, manner, and language could make them.

Passive obedience appeared to be the one safe course to take--at the

risk of a reception, irritating to any man's self-respect, when he

returned to his employer with a broken teacup in his hand.




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