Hyacinth

ven the habitually cautious Irish Times felt that the occasion justified the expression of an opinion, and that ther

solemnity that if the principles sedulously inculcated upon its readers in its own columns were persistently flouted and contemned by those who claimed the position of national representatives, little else except a repetition at frequent intervals of the painful and humiliating scenes of the night before could possibly be anticipated by reasonable observers of the general trend of democratic institutions. The Daily Express openly exulted over the rioters. Its leading article-the staff may have danced in a ring round the office table while composing it-declared that now at length the Irish had proved to

or the Parliamentary party. At the same time, they felt a difficulty in denouncing her, not for want of suitable language-the Irish Nationalist press has a superb command of words which a self-respecting dictionary wo

student of Trinity College, who had flung an apple of discord-on this occasion a jagged paving-stone of unusual size-into the midst of a group of ladies and gentlemen who were peacefully discussing a slight difference of opinion among themselves. Beyond this point none of the papers gave any account of the proceedings, all four reporters having recognised that, not being retained as war correspondents, they were not called upon to risk their lives on the battlefield. The accounts all closed with the information that the wounded had been carried to Jervis Street Hospital, and were under treatment suitable to their injuries. Hyacinth had suffered a slight concussion of the brain and a flesh wound. Other sufferers were in the same ward, Mr. Shea himself occupying a bed, so that Hyacinth had the satisfaction of seeing him stretched out, a melancholy figure, with a bandage concealing most of his

st suspicion of the part he had played reached the ears of the college authorities, he felt that his career as a divinity student was likely to be an extremely brief one. His chief fear was that a prolonged absence from college would give rise to inquiry, and that his bandages would excite suspicion when he reappeared. Fortunately, the house surgeon decided that he was sufficiently recovered to be allowed to leave the hospital early in the afternoon. The boot which

se. After a while she recovered sufficiently to tell him that she had not slept at all during the night, and felt extremely unwell and quite unstrung in consequence. Another fit of immoderate and tearful laughter followed, and Hyacinth, embarrassed and alarmed, fetched a tumbler of soda-water from the syphon on the sideboard. The lady refused to swallow any, and, just as he had made up his mind to risk an external application, recovered again. During the lucid interval which followed she informed him that his own conduct had been superb and heroic. What seem

shade paler than usual, nor her hand at all less cool and firm. She stretched her

overexcited, perhaps. Have you had tea? No? Perhaps y

d given Hyacinth about her sleepless night,

e a-you remember the kind of thing, don't you?-like a

d under the sofa. Augusta Goold was much less sympathetic. She fixed her with a strong stare of amazeme

er on your face, Mr. Conneally,' she sa

, 'and a good-sized

be very awkward for you in col

they find out that I th

at the recollection. 'But how on earth did you co

man who had been felled by the

s than yours. Shea went down as if he had been shot. I was afraid of my life he would clutch at my skirts as he fell

er was qui

,' she said

ou anot

've three others, be

ll do. It's disgusting to see a woman slopping about in a dressing

t would have been a great deal pleasanter to have gone on practising hysterics with Hyacint

ch me, and then very likely I should have killed him, and there might have been trouble afterwards.' She spoke quite calmly, but Hyacinth had very little doubt that she meant exactly what she said. 'Grealy of course, was useless. One might have expected him to give utterance to an ancient tribal war-cry, but he didn't even do that. Tim Halloran got frightened when the row began. I

coolness in her manner. Now he had apparently reinstated himself in her good graces. Praise, even for an act he was secretly ashamed of, and gratitude, though he by no means recognis

r. It was felt that she had done a surprisingly courageous thing when she faced Mr. O'Rourke on his own platform. Also, she had behaved with a certain dignity, neither throwing chairs nor stones at her opponents. Then, she was an undeniably beautiful woman, a fact which made its inevitable appeal to the young men. The mere expression of sympathy with this flamboyant and scandal-smeared heroine brought with it a delightful flavour of gay and worldly vice. It was pretty well known that Hyacinth was a friend of Miss Goold's, and it was rumoured that he had earned his piece of sticking-plaster in her defence. No one knew exactly what he had done or how much he had suffered, but a great many men were anxious to know.

n which he found more intolerable than the original isolation. He applied himself with extreme diligence to his studies, even affecting an interest, unnatural for the most pious, in the expositions given by learned doctors of the Thirty-nine Articles. At lectures on Church history he made notes about the vagaries of heretics so assiduously that the professor began to hope that there existed one student at least who took an interest in the Christological controversies of the sixth century. He never ventured back again to the Wednesday prayer-meeting, but

posed as expositions of the creeds affected his mind much as the expurgated life histories of maiden aunts do the newly-emancipated school-girl. The relentless closing in of argument upon a single previously settled doctrine woke in him a desire to break through at some point and breathe again in the open. He began to fear that he was becoming hopelessly irreligious. His morning devotions in t

s of his want of religion in their company. With the exception of Augusta Goold herself, the members of the coterie were professedly Roman Catholics; but this made little or no difference in their intercourse with him. What he found in their ideals was a substitute for religion, a space where his enthusiasm might extend itself. He became, as he realized his own position clearly, very doubtful whether he ought to continue his coll

which leads to a high degree of probability and a demonstration which produces absolute certainty. The subject was a dry one, and quite unsuited to Dr. Spenser, whose heart was set on maintaining a reputation for caustic

dies of doubtful reputation, like Miss Goold, to the conclusion that Mr. Conneally is himself a Nationalist, I should only have arrived at a p

thout heeding a deep flush on Hyacinth's face, which mig

derers-Mr. Conneally is a Nationalist; therefore Mr. Conneally is a rebel and potential

nly gasp for breath to utter a reply, and Dr. Spenser, secure in the conviction of his own intell

per, 'propose to impugn the accuracy of m

ther into one sentence provoked a sustained clapping of hands and stamping of feet from the class. H

a lady to ridicule is probably a cad, and that the cad who makes

l was the only suitable punishment. Hyacinth did not look forward with any pleasure to the interview to which h

e gleam of humorous appreciation flashed across his eyes as he

tory, but if you did you will surely recognise th

at am I to do with you now? What would you do if you were in my place?

th was

ols and cads before their classes. I should be afraid myself to deliver a lec

that the best thing will be for

our abilities, Conneally-so high that I should not like the Church to lose your services. At the same time, you are not at present the kind of m

and, and in the same breath say that there is no room for a Na

n. There spread over his mouth

After all, in this life one has got to steer one's course among facts, and they're sharp things which knock holes in the man who disregards them. Now, what I propose to you is this: Put off your ordination for three years or so. Take up schoolmastaring. I will undertake to get you a post in an English school. Your politics won't matter over there, because no one will in the least understand what you mean. Work hard, think hard, read hard. Mix with the bigger worl

h. 'I shall never forget your kindness, and the w

Write to me if you like about your plans, and remember my offer is open six months or a year hence. You'll be the same man then that you are