tics,
transformed economy, irradiated philosophy. They discussed the knotty
question, Why things were not done, the things being confessedly to do;
and they cut the knot: Men, men calling themselves statesmen, declined
to perform that operation, because, forsooth, other men objected to
have it performed on them. And common humanity declared it to be for the
common weal! If so, then it is clearly indicated as a course of action:
we shut our eyes against logic and the vaunted laws of economy. They
are the knot we cut; or would cut, had we the sword. Diana did it to the
tune of Garryowen or Planxty Kelly. O for a despot! The cry was for
a beneficent despot, naturally: a large-minded benevolent despot. In
short, a despot to obey their bidding. Thoughtful young people who
think through the heart soon come to this conclusion. The heart is the
beneficent despot they would be. He cures those miseries; he creates the
novel harmony. He sees all difficulties through his own sanguine hues.
He is the musical poet of the problem, demanding merely to have it
solved that he may sing: clear proof of the necessity for solving it
immediately.

Thus far in their pursuit of methods for the government of a nation, to
make it happy, Diana was leader. Her fine ardour and resonance, and more
than the convincing ring of her voice, the girl's impassioned rapidity
in rushing through any perceptible avenue of the labyrinth, or beating
down obstacles to form one, and coming swiftly to some solution,
constituted her the chief of the pair of democratic rebels in questions
that clamoured for instant solution. By dint of reading solid writers,
using the brains they possessed, it was revealed to them gradually that
their particular impatience came perhaps of the most earnest desire to
get to a comfortable termination of the inquiry: the heart aching for
mankind sought a nest for itself. At this point Lady Dunstane took the
lead. Diana had to be tugged to follow. She could not accept a 'perhaps'
that cast dubiousness on her disinterested championship. She protested
a perfect certainty of the single aim of her heart outward. But she
reflected. She discovered that her friend had gone ahead of her.

The discovery was reached, and even acknowledged, before she could
persuade herself to swallow the repulsive truth. O self! self! self! are
we eternally masking in a domino that reveals your hideous old face when
we could be most positive we had escaped you? Ete