pared to talk about Mr. Kennedy's affairs," said Phineas
gravely.

"But unfortunately he is prepared to talk about them. That's the rub.
He has been ill-used, and he has come to the _People's Banner_ for
redress. Will you have the kindness to cast your eye down that slip?"
Whereupon the editor handed to Phineas a long scrap of printed paper,
amounting to about a column and a half of the _People's Banner_,
containing a letter to the editor dated from Loughlinter, and signed
Robert Kennedy at full length.

"You don't mean to say that you're going to publish this," said
Phineas before he had read it.

"Why not?"

"The man is a madman."

"There's nothing in the world easier than calling a man mad. It's
what we do to dogs when we want to hang them. I believe Mr. Kennedy
has the management of his own property. He is not too mad for that.
But just cast your eye down and read it."

Phineas did cast his eye down, and read the whole letter;--nor as
he read it could he bring himself to believe that the writer of it
would be judged to be mad from its contents. Mr. Kennedy had told
the whole story of his wrongs, and had told it well,--with piteous
truthfulness, as far as he himself knew and understood the truth. The
letter was almost simple in its wailing record of his own desolation.
With a marvellous absence of reticence he had given the names of all
persons concerned. He spoke of his wife as having been, and being,
under the influence of Mr. Phineas Finn;--spoke of his own former
friendship for that gentleman, who had once saved his life when
he fell among thieves, and then accused Phineas of treachery in
betraying that friendship. He spoke with bitter agony of the injury
done him by the Earl, his wife's father, in affording a home to his
wife, when her proper home was at Loughlinter. And then declared
himself willing to take the sinning woman back to his bosom. "That
she had sinned is certain," he said; "I do not believe she has sinned
as some sin; but, whatever be her sin, it is for a man to forgive as
he hopes for forgiveness." He expatiated on the absolute and almost
divine right which it was intended that a husband should exercise
over his wife, and quoted both the Old and New Testament in proof of
his assertions. And then he went on to say that he appealed to public
sympathy, through the public press, because, owing to some gross
insufficiency in the laws of extradition, he could not call upon the
magistracy of a f