atification to be imparted to her niece Caroline, yet not so as to be
opposed to the peculiar feelings of her brother Edward, which had her
fullest sympathy; and yet Caroline must by no means be requested to
alter a sentence referring to Adiante, for that would commit her and the
writer jointly to an insincerity.

'It must be the whole truth, madam,' said Patrick, and he wrote: 'My
dear Caroline,' to get the start. At once a magnificently clear course
for the complicated letter was distinguished by him. 'Can I write on and
read it to you afterward? I have the view,' he said.

Mrs. Adister waved to him to write on.

Patrick followed his 'My dear Caroline' with greetings very warm,
founded on a report of her flourishing good looks. The decision of
Government to send reinforcements to Ireland was mentioned as a prelude
to the information from Vienna of the birth of a son to the Princess
Nikolas: and then; having conjoined the two entirely heterogeneous
pieces of intelligence, the composer adroitly interfused them by a
careless transposition of the prelude and the burden that enabled him to
play ad libitum on regrets and rejoicings; by which device the lord of
Earlsfont might be offered condolences while the lady could express her
strong contentment, inasmuch as he deplored the state of affairs in
the sister island, and she was glad of a crisis concluding a term of
suspense thus the foreign-born baby was denounced and welcomed, the
circumstances lamented and the mother congratulated, in a breath,
all under cover of the happiest misunderstanding, as effective as
the cabalism of Prospero's wand among the Neapolitan mariners, by the
skilful Irish development on a grand scale of the rhetorical figure
anastrophe, or a turning about and about.

He read it out to her, enjoying his composition and pleased with his
reconcilement of differences. 'So you say what you feel yourself, madam,
and allow for the feelings on the other side,' he remarked. 'Shall I
fold it?

There was a smoothness in the letter particularly agreeable to her
troubled wits, but with an awful taste. She hesitated to assent: it
seemed like a drug that she was offered.

Patrick sketched a series of hooked noses on the blotter. He heard a
lady's name announced at the door, and glancing up from his work he
beheld a fiery vision.

Mrs. Adister addressed her affectionately: 'My dear Jane!' Patrick was
introduced to Miss Mattock.

His first impression was that