ed in garrets,
and our greatest romancer wrote some of his most thrilling scenes amid
the noise and commonplace interruptions of a Court of Sessions."

"Such labors as mine," said she, smiling, "neither require nor deserve
the benefit of a chosen spot."

"You are engaged upon Glengariff," said he; "am I at liberty to look?"
And he took the paper from the table as he spoke. At first he glanced
half carelessly at the lines; but as he read on he became more
attentive, and at last, turning to the opening pages, he read with
marked earnestness and care.

"You have done this very well,--admirably well," said he, as he laid it
down; "but shall I be forgiven if I make an ungracious speech?"

"Say on," said she, smiling good-naturedly.

"Well, then," said he, drawing a long breath, "you are pleading an
impossible cause. They who suggested it were moved by the success of
those great enterprises which every day develops around us, and which,
by the magic word 'Company,' assume vitality and consistence; they
speculated on immense profits just as they could compute a problem in
arithmetic. It demanded so much skill and no more. _You_--I have no need
that you should tell me so--were actuated by very different motives. You
wanted to benefit a poor and neglected peasantry, to disseminate amongst
them the blessings of comfort and civilization; _you_ were eager for the
philanthropy of the project, _they_ for its gain."

"But why, as a mere speculation, should it be a failure?" broke she in.

"There are too many reasons for such a result," said he, with a
melancholy smile. "Suffice it if I give you only one. We Irish are not
in favor just now. While we were troublesome and rebellious, there was
an interest attached to us,--we were dangerous; and even in the
sarcasms of the English press there lurked a secret terror of some great
convulsion here which should shake the entire empire. We are prosperous
now, and no longer picturesque. Our better fortune has robbed us of the
two claims we used to have on English sympathy; we are neither droll
nor ragged, and so they can neither laugh at our humor nor sneer at our
wretchedness. Will not these things show you that we are not likely
to be fashionable? I say this to you; to Lord Glengariff I will speak
another language. I will tell him that his scheme will not attract
speculators. I myself cannot advocate it. I never link my name with
defeats. He will be, of course, indignant, and we shall