lawn, and crowned his career of murder with the stable cat, in an
outhouse where Charles had at last incontinently and a little
inconsiderately, as far as the cat was concerned, flung him.

Isabel and her husband had driven over from a neighboring parish.

Isabel liked garden parties. She made her way at once to a group of
clergy, her husband dangling meekly in her rear; and then told them in
her quarter deck style exactly what she thought ought to be done with
their parishes. Sir Peter remained in the library with the windows open
and his eye upon passing clouds.

Several of his friends joined him, and they talked about Ulster.

Everybody was at this time talking about Ulster.

Most of them spoke of it as people talk of a tidal wave in China. They
did not exactly wish the wave to destroy the whole of China, but they
would all have felt a little annoyed if it had withdrawn without
drowning anybody.

"The Government has been weak," said Sir Peter sternly; "as weak as a
soft-boiled egg! What Ireland wants is a firm hand, and if that's not
enough, a swift kick after it! Concession! Who wants concessions? A
sensible man doesn't make concessions unless he's trying to bluff you
into thinking he's got what he hasn't got, or is getting out of you what
he hasn't right to get!

"But people oughtn't to import arms. I'll go as far as that! It's
against discipline. Whether it's one side or the other, it ought to be
stopped.

"There'll be a row, of course--a healthy, blood-letting hell of a row,
and we shall all be the better for it! But I don't approve of firearms
being let loose all over the place--it's un-English. It only shows what
the poor devils at Ulster must have suffered, and be afraid of
suffering, to resort to it! That sort of thing is all very well in the
Balkans. My son Winn's been talking about the Balkans lately--kind of
thing the army's always getting gas off about! What I say is--let 'em
fight! They got the Turk down once, all of 'em together, and he was the
only person that could keep 'em in hand. Now I hear Austria wants to
start trouble in Serbia because of that assassination in June. What they
want to make a fuss about assassination in that family for I can't
think! I should look upon it as an hereditary disease and leave it at
that! But don't tell me it's anything to worry about compared to Ulster.
What's the danger of a country that talks thirteen languages, has no
non-commissioned officers, and alwa