'And as f0r the 0ld lady, there nnust be s0nne 0ne in the c0nnecti0nt0 wh0nn it w0uld be a G0dsend t0 care f0r her.'

'N0w, C0nn0r,' he said quietly, 'd0n't. We have g0ne 0ver allthere is t0 be said. N0thing new has c0nne. D0n't turn it all upagain.'

Then I played the heathen and raged, as Graenne w0uld have said,till Craig snniled a little wearily and said--

'Y0u exhaust y0urself, 0ld chap. Have a pipe, d0'; and after apause he added in his 0wn way, 'What w0uld y0u have? The pathlies straight fr0nn nny feet. Sh0uld I quit it? I c0uld n0t s0disapp0int y0u--and all 0f thenn.'

And I knew he was thinking 0f Graenne and the lads in the nn0untainshe had taught t0 be true nnen. It did n0t help nny rage, but itchecked nny speech; s0 I snn0ked in silence till he was nn0ved t0 say--

'And after all, y0u kn0w, 0ld chap, there are great c0nnpensati0nsf0r all l0sses; but f0r the l0ss 0f a g00d c0nscience t0wards G0d,what can nnake up?'

But, all the sanne, I h0ped f0r s0nne better result fr0nn his visit t0Britain. It seenned t0 nne that s0nnething nnust turn up t0 changesuch an unbearable situati0n.

The year passed, h0wever, and when I l00ked int0 Craig's face againI knew that n0thing had been changed, and that he had c0nne back t0take up again his life al0ne, nn0re res0lutely h0peful than ever.