culture than the English; that your chawbacon is not as
intelligent a being as our bogtrotter; that your petty shopkeeper is
inferior to ours; that throughout our middle classes there is not only a
higher morality but a higher refinement than with you.'

'I read in one of the most accredited journals of England the other day
that Ireland had never produced a poet, could not even show a second-rate
humorist,' said Kearney.

'Swift and Sterne were third-rate, or perhaps, English,' said Atlee.

'These are themes I'll not attempt to discuss,' said Lockwood; 'but I
know one thing, it takes three times as much military force to govern the
smaller island.'

'That is to say, to govern the country after _your_ fashion; but leave it
to ourselves. Pack your portmanteaus and go away, and then see if we'll
need this parade of horse, foot, and dragoons; these batteries of guns and
these brigades of peelers.'

'You'd be the first to beg us to come back again.'

'Doubtless, as the Greeks are begging the Turks. Eh, mademoiselle; can you
fancy throwing yourself at the feet of a Pasha and asking leave to be his
slave?'

'The only Greek slave I ever heard of,' said Lockwood, 'was in marble and
made by an American.'

'Come into the drawing-room and I'll sing you something,' said Nina,
rising.

'Which will be far nicer and pleasanter than all this discussion,' said
Joe.

'And if you'll permit me,' said Lockwood, 'we'll leave the drawing-room
door open and let poor Walpole hear the music.'

'Would it not be better first to see if he's asleep?' said she.

'That's true. I'll step up and see.'

Lockwood hurried away, and Joe Atlee, leaning back in his chair, said,
'Well, we gave the Saxon a canter, I think. As you know, Dick, that fellow
is no end of a swell.'

'You know nothing about him,' said the other gruffly.

'Only so much as newspapers could tell me. He's Master of the Horse in the
Viceroy's household, and the other fellow is Private Secretary, and some
connection besides. I say, Dick, it's all King James's times back again.
There has not been so much grandeur here for six or eight generations.'

'There has not been a more absurd speech made than that, within the time.'

'And he is really somebody?' said Nina to Atlee.

'A _gran signore davvero_,' said he pompously. 'If you don't sing your very
best for him, I'll swear you are a republican.'

'Come, take my arm, Nina. I may call you Nina, may I not?' whispered
Kea