The Red Hand of Ulster Part 39

"I'm very sorry, very sorry indeed. Now I wonder if you would allow me--I mean if the people of Belfast would allow me--as a personal expression of the warm feeling of friendliness I've always felt for the Irish people, _all_ the Irish people--I wonder if I might offer to replace the statue. I should esteem it an honour."

"It was a very large statue," I said, "and must have cost--"

"Oh, I should not allow considerations of money to stand in my way."

This was handsome. I looked at G.o.dfrey to see how he liked to hear his future wife's dowry being frittered away on statues. I could see that he was anything but pleased.

"I shall convey your offer," I said, "to the people of Belfast. They may not want that exact statue again. We're not quite as keen on Kings and Queens as we were. But I feel quite sure something symbolic would appeal to us strongly. What would you think now of Ulster as an infant Hercules strangling a snake representing Home Rule? Any good sculptor would knock off something of that sort for you; about twelve feet by nine feet, not counting the pedestal. By the way, did we do much damage to your ship? The one Malcolmson hit with his cannon ball?"

"I don't know," said c.l.i.thering. "I did not hear any details."

"Because," I said, "if she is injured in any way--But perhaps she was insured?"

"I don't think men-of-war are insured."

"Well, they ought to be. But if that one wasn't I'm sure we'd like to make good any damage we did. Conroy has lots of money, and he'd be sorry if the English people were put to any expense in repairing a battleship we injured."

I am not a practised amba.s.sador, but I have always understood that diplomacy is a trade in which politeness pays. I was not going to be outdone by c.l.i.thering. When he offered Belfast a new statue I could hardly do less than promise that Conroy would mend the ship. I was very glad afterwards that I thought of it. c.l.i.thering was tremendously pleased, and made me quite a long speech. He said that he looked upon my offer as a kind of first-fruit of the new spirit of amity which was coming into existence between England and Ireland.

This ended our negotiations to the satisfaction of every one concerned.

Lady Moyne returned at once to Castle Affey and spent the summer in planning new ways of keeping the insurgent industrial democracy from invading the rights and privileges of the propertied cla.s.ses. Last time I dined there she explained to me a scheme for developing the Boy Scout movement, which would, she thought, distract the attention of the public and push social questions into the background. Babberly escaped having to address a labour meeting in Newcastle-on-Tyne. He had promised to do this, but there was no necessity for him to keep his promise once the troops were withdrawn from Belfast. He returned to his duties in Parliament, and, as I gathered from the papers, hara.s.sed the Government successfully all through the autumn session.

The Dean and Crossan played their hymn tune on our church bells every day for a fortnight. They still--and I am writing several months after the new Irish Government has been firmly established--congratulate each other on the way in which the third Home Rule Bill was defeated by the unfaltering att.i.tude of the Ulster Loyalists.

G.o.dfrey, I regret to say, failed to marry Miss c.l.i.thering. She took a violent dislike to him after he had spent three weeks in her father's house. Not even the prospect of becoming Lady Kilmore would reconcile her to the marriage. I am therefore still responsible for his maintenance.

I have, unfortunately, been obliged to give up writing my "History of Irish Rebellions." I do not understand Marion's system of filing, and I cannot find any of the papers I want. I cannot get Marion to explain things to me, or to take any trouble to help me. Since she married Bob Power she has lost all interest in my literary work.

THE END