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Rh he understood what she said. He had no recollection at all of the meaning of the speech. No matter how long or how short a time he would go on thinking he found it impossible to discover in his mind that there was any longer space of time between him and when he parted from her on the mountain, than the one while of the night, three hours or so. He thought the sleep which came upon him when he was parting from her, was the sleep out of which he had just awakened that moment.

Grey Dermot came to see him.

"How long is it since I fell ill, Dermot?" said he. "I don't remember exactly."

"That is not the way with me," said Dermot. "I remember quite exactly, and it is no wonder for me to do so. I have a good right to be exact about it. It will soon be three weeks. No fear of the time coming unawares upon me. As soon as Michael heard you were in bed he rushed up here, and I had to mind the shop myself, though I was but badly fit for it. There hasn't been a night since you fell ill that he did not come up. He used to go down again at day-break, but even so he was very little use below. He used to be found asleep in the shop when people came in looking for leather. He used to stay here helping the nurse until Short Mary would come. Mary used to come nearly every night, at the latter end of the night. She was here this morning before Michael went down, but not a ray of consciousness had come to you at that time. You knew nobody. For my part, I never saw a sick man so clean out of his senses as you were during the whole time. You couldn't speak a single word. When I was sick I was delirious, but even if I was,