The Red Hand of Ulster Part 33

"No. Not that. The girl, I mean. Tottie Pringle."

"Oh yes, I remember."

"Well, old Pringle began to get offensive. He seemed to think that I ought to--you know."

"Marry her? I expect you ought."

"Excellency?" said G.o.dfrey in genuine horror and amazement.

"By the way," said Bland, "I forgot to mention that I promised the court martial to get your nephew out of Belfast before to-morrow morning. I hope you don't mind. They wouldn't let him go on any other condition."

"Quite right," I said. "G.o.dfrey shall start to-night."

"I don't see why I should," said G.o.dfrey. "I don't think it's at all nice of you, Excellency, to--"

"And while we're at it," I said, "we may as well ship off c.l.i.thering.

G.o.dfrey let me introduce you to--"

I looked round and discovered that c.l.i.thering was not in the room.

"I hope to goodness," I said, "that he's not gone out to get himself hanged. He rather wanted to a few minutes ago."

"It's all right," said Bland. "I saw him going upstairs. I expect he's looking for his clothes."

"G.o.dfrey," I said. "I'm going to offer you a great chance. Sir Samuel c.l.i.thering is in every way a very big man. In the first place he's very rich. In the next place he's on intimate terms with the Prime Minister. In fact he's been sending him telegrams every hour or so for the last two days. You go upstairs and help him to find his clothes.

Then take him over to London. The Fleetwood steamer is still running.

If you can get him out of Belfast and lay him down safe and sound on his own doorstep the Government will be so grateful that they'll very likely make you a stipendiary magistrate."

"But supposing he doesn't want to go?"

"You'll have to make him," I said.

"How?" said G.o.dfrey. "How can I?"

"Don't be a fool, G.o.dfrey," I said. "Nag at him. You've got more than two hours before you, and nagging is a thing you're really good at."

Bland took G.o.dfrey by the arm and led him up to c.l.i.thering's bedroom.

He locked them in together, and did not open the door again until half an hour before the steamer started. Then he took up c.l.i.thering's clothes to him. G.o.dfrey had evidently spent the time as I advised.

c.l.i.thering deserved it, of course; but he certainly looked as if he had been through a bad time when Bland let him out.

There was a meeting of the Ulster Defence Committee at seven o'clock.

It was summoned, so the notice which I received informed me, in order to make arrangements for preserving the peace of the town. This, I thought, was very proper work for the committee. The Cabinet was probably making other arrangements with the same object. Between them the committee and the Government had destroyed what little peace Belfast ever had. The least they could do was to restore it.

Moyne took the chair as usual. He opened our proceedings by saying firmly and decisively, that he intended to surrender himself at once to the authorities.

"We're the only authorities there are at present," said McNeice, "so if you want to surrender--"

"We must resolve ourselves into a Provisional Government," said the Dean, who always likes to do things const.i.tutionally.

"The police," said Moyne feebly.

"There aren't any," said McNeice.

"Wiped out," said Malcolmson.

"The General in command of the troops--" said Moyne.

"The troops are shut up in their barracks," said McNeice.

"Licked," said Malcolmson.

"Say," said Conroy, "are you dead sure you whipped them?"

"They bolted," said Malcolmson.

"I don't reckon to be a military expert," said Conroy, "but it kind of occurs to me that those troops weren't doing all they knew. I don't say but you're quite right to boost your men all you can; but we'll make a big mistake if we start figuring on having defeated the British army."

"I happen to know," I said, "that Mr. Conroy is quite right.

c.l.i.thering--"

"That spaniel!" said McNeice.

"He told me," I said, "that the troops had orders to fire over our men's heads. The idea, I think, was not so much to injure as to overawe us."

"It was a d.a.m.ned foolish idea," said McNeice sulkily.

"You cannot," said the Dean, "overawe the men of Ulster."

This is one of the Dean's most cherished opinions. I have heard him express it a great many times. I do not know whether the Dean had actually been fighting during the afternoon. I am sure he wanted to; but he may have considered it his duty to do no more than look on. Our Dean is particularly strong on Old Testament history. I am sure he recollected that Moses sat on the top of an adjacent hill while Joshua was fighting the Amalekites.

"If you want to surrender yourself," said Conroy to Moyne, "I reckon you'll have the chance of handing yourself over to a British Admiral before long."

"Have you any reason to suppose that the Fleet--?" said Moyne.

"We're ready for them," said Malcolmson. "If the Government thinks it can force Home Rule on Ulster with the guns of the Channel Fleet, it's making a big mistake. It'll find that out before long."

"If you like, Lord Moyne," said Conroy, "we'll put you under arrest and then n.o.body will be able to hold you responsible afterwards for anything that happens. You'll be quite safe."

Whatever Moyne's motives may have been in wishing to surrender himself, I am perfectly sure that a desire for his own safety was not one of them. I imagine that he hoped, in a confused and troubled way, to get himself somehow on the side of law and order again. Moyne was never meant to be a rebel.

Conroy's words were insulting, intentionally so, I think. He wished to get rid of Moyne before the committee discussed the defence of Belfast against the Fleet. He may have wished to get rid of me too. He succeeded. Moyne is not nearly so thorough-going a patrician as his wife; but he has sufficient cla.s.s pride to dislike being insulted by a millionaire. He got up and left the room. He looked so lonely in his dignified retirement that I felt I ought to give him such support as I could. I rose too, took his arm, and went out with him.

CHAPTER XXIII

People who organize and carry through revolutions generally begin by cutting the telegraph wires, with a view to isolating the scene of action. I cannot help thinking that this is a mistake. We kept our telegraph offices open day and night, and I am strongly of opinion that we gained rather than lost by our departure from the established ritual of revolutions. The news which came to us from England was often encouraging, and generally of some value. Nor do I think that the Government gained any advantage over us by the messages which c.l.i.thering as their agent, or Bland and others in their capacity of public entertainers, sent from Belfast to London.