For, as it happened, he did not see the priest till May was nearly past, and during all that time things were going from bad to worse.

As regarded any services which he rendered to the army at this period of his career, the excuses which he had made to his uncle were certainly not valid.

Some pretence at positively necessary routine duties it must be supposed that he made; but he spent more of his time either on the sea, or among the cliffs with Kate, or on the road going backwards and forwards, than he did at his quarters.

It was known that he was to leave the regiment and become a great man at home in October, and his brother officers were kind to him.

And it was known also, of course, that there was a young lady down on the sea coast beyond Ennistimon, and doubtless there were jokes on the subject.