The Red Hand of Ulster

or a novel with a purpose stands condemned at once. The same canon of criticism must, I suppose, apply to parties of all kinds, dinner-parties, garden-parties, or house-parties. A good hos

ave no object except that of merely being parties, the bare collection together of human beings in their best clothes. I was, therefore, greatly pleased when I discovered that my original guess was right and that Lady Moyne's party was definitely political. I found this out when I arrived in the drawing-room before dinner. I was a little too early and there was no one in the room except Moyne. He shook hands with me apologetically and this gave me a clue to the nature of t

e said, "that-well, you know that my lady is

shows his respect for her by the pretty old-fashion

n, "that the people we h

rly?"

set to music, the orchestra would necessarily consist entirely of cornets, trumpets and drums. No on

l apologetically, "it really

"I've lived through se

an called Malcolmson arrived this afternoon, a co

etter in The Ti

l you, Kilmore, that that kind

andière," I said, "marching in front of an

ne and very proud of her. This is quite natural.

said Lord

on about mixed marriages, he spoke in a quite low voice. As a rule this subject moves the Dean to stridency; but the heavy magnificence of Castle Affey crushed him into a kind of whisper. This encouraged me. If the Dean had been in his usual condition of vigour, I should not have ventured to do anything except agree with him heartily. Feeling that I might never catch him in a subdued mood again, I seized a chance of expressing my own views on the mixed marriage question. It seems to me that the whole difficulty about the validity of these unions might be got over by importing a few priests of the Greek Church into Ireland. The Vatican, I believe, recognizes t

. Babberly talked about Unionist clubs and the vigorous way in which the members of them were doing dumb bell exercises, so as to be in thoroughly good training when the Home Rule Bill became law. The subject evidently interested him very much. He has a long white beard of the kind described as patriarchal. When he reaches exciting passages in his publ

ou actually mean to

the English people understand that we mean t

s a splendid thing for us to have a cause in which we take the lead, which will bind our working class

ertainly follow any one who took his side of the great controversy. If Lady Moyne wore an orange sash over her pretty dresses Crossan would cheer her. While Home Rule remained a real danger he would refrain from asking why Lord Moyne shou

that the men you are enrollin

lmore," said Babberly,

y forts on the side of the Cave Hill above Belfast Lough. His idea apparently, was to sink any British warship which was

l, the great heart of the English people is sound. They will nev

years of age, but her smile gave me so much pleasure

re violent. Babberly talked about a campaign among the English constituencies. He had a curious and quite pathetic faith in the gullibility of the British working-man. Nobody listened much to Babberly. The Dean prosed on about the effects of the Ne Temere decree. We all said that we agreed with him, and then stopped listening. Malcolmson got on to field guns, and had an elaborate plan for training gunners without actual practice.

of feeling. If Lady Moyne wanted to convert me a far better plan would have been to invite me to her house after the politicians had gone away. Circe, I imagine, did not attract new lovers by parading those whom she had already turned into swine. Nor could I suppose that I had been brought to Castle Affey in order to convert people like Malcolmson to pacific ways of thoug

er breakfast, and invited me, rather wistfully I thought, to go round the stables with hi

out by the Ne Temere decree. He was telling it to Cahoon, the Belfast

heerful and babbled pleasantly about hunting. Then Lady Moyne came through the door of the stable. I was very glad to see her. Her dress, a simple brown tweed, suited her admirably, and her smile, less radiant, perhaps, than i

rough for a good cause!" she

d of thing at breakfast. Let's take

I must not. I only ran out to speak

guests that she really wanted to talk to. Now her lips said the same thing plainly. I d

mes this after

Moyne, who was evidently not wel

to me-not to her husband. "He's very clever, and it's

n hand yourself," I said. "If

id in Parliament and on a platform; perfectly splendid. We've nobody like him. But he might not quite suit Mr. Conroy. Then poor dear Colonel Malcolmson do

man," I said, "and has a r

ious Mr. Cahoon. They're dears, perfect dears in the way they stand up f

aid; "but, after all, I'm

u're a Liberal. I don't mean in any offensive sense of the word; only just that you're not a party man. I mu

im I had letters to write, he insisted on explaining to me that, as a

hed to any party. She must stand above and beyond party, a w

General Synod, that the Church was, more or less, on the side of the Unionists, if the Dean had not explained to me that she only appeared to be on their side because they happened to be always in the right, but that she would be quite as much on the side of th