He told us that he himself knew Shiana thoroughly, and that he was an honest man, and that it was he that put Cormac himself on the track of the thieves, and that but for him they would not have been caught at all. I determined to bring the man who had told the first story face to face with Cormac, but there was neither tale nor tidings of him. He was gone as if the ground had swallowed him. I sent people to search for him into every part of the city. I joined in the search, but it was no use for us. He was not to be found high or low. I remember, though, right well,' said he, 'that I saw passing me in the street, and walking leisurely, one of the King's nobles, with a long, grey beard, fine and soft and skeiny, just like this,' said he, taking the mass of hair from Sive's hand, 'and fine heavy hair like this falling backward and downward upon his shoulders in rings, waving and curling. Little notion I had then that the man I wanted was so near me.'
"But to give you the end of the story, Father, the gentleman's house was searched, and heaps of silver and of gold, and of other valuables were found there. And the King said that Sive should be given double the amount that she had lost, and also her choice of all the valuable and exquisite things that were there. And as for the horses that were bought at the fair, and for which the false money was paid, the King said they must be searched for and sent back to Munster to their owners. Then the King ordered Sheeghy's house to be cleaned and settled and put in order and given to Sive, if she wished to go to live in it, and to take her father with her there, because she had conferred a great favour
