d cried, Ready, though I haven't much outlook! We'd
be satisfied with her for a handsome figure. I don't know whether we
wouldn't be satisfied with her for politeness in her manners. We'd like
her better for a spice of devotion to alight higher up in politics and
religion. But the key of the difficulty's a sparkle of enthusiasm. It's
part business, and the greater part sentiment. We want a rousing in the
heart of us; or else we'd be pleased with her for sitting so as not
to overlap us entirely: we'd feel more at home, and behold her more
respectfully. We'd see the policy of an honourable union, and be joined
to you by more than a telegraphic cable. That's Captain Con, I think,
and many like him.'

Patrick finished his airy sketch of the Irish case in a key signifying
that he might be one among the many, but unobtrusive.

'Stick to horses!' observed Mr. Adister.

It was pronounced as the termination to sheer maundering.

Patrick talked on the uppermost topic for the remainder of their stroll.

He noticed that his host occasionally allowed himself to say, 'You
Irish': and he reflected that the saying, 'You English,' had been hinted
as an offence.

He forgot to think that he had possibly provoked this alienation in a
scornfully proud spirit. The language of metaphor was to Mr. Adister
fool's froth. He conceded the use of it to the Irish and the Welsh as
a right that stamped them for what they were by adopting it; and they
might look on a country as a 'she,' if it amused them: so long as they
were not recalcitrant, they were to be tolerated, they were a part of
us; doubtless the nether part, yet not the less a part for which we are
bound to exercise a specially considerate care, or else we suffer,
for we are sensitive there: this is justice but the indications by
fiddle-faddle verbiage of anything objectionable to the whole in the
part aroused an irritability that speedily endued him with the sense
of sanity opposing lunacy; when, not having a wide command of the
undecorated plain speech which enjoyed his approval, he withdrew into
the entrenchments of contempt.

Patrick heard enough to let him understand why the lord of Earlsfont and
Captain Con were not on the best of terms. Once or twice he had a twinge
or suspicion of a sting from the tone of his host, though he was not
political and was of a mood to pity the poor gentleman's melancholy
state of solitariness, with all his children absent, his wife dead, only
a n