ns from hand to hand of warm
human flesh-nothing else will do: I mean, for men of our blood. Ah! she
would have kept my brother temperate in his notions and his plans. And
why absentees, Miss Adister? Because we've no centre of home life: the
core has been taken out of us; our country has no hearth-fire. I'm for
union; only there should be justice, and a little knowledge to make
allowance for the natural cravings of a different kind of people. Well,
then, and I suppose that inter-marriages are good for both. But here
comes a man, the boldest and handsomest of his race, and he offers
himself to the handsomest and sweetest of yours, and she leans to him,
and the family won't have him. For he's an Irishman and a Catholic. Who
is it then opposed the proper union of the two islands? Not Philip. He
did his best; and if he does worse now he's not entirely to blame.
The misfortune is, that when he learns the total loss of her on that
rock-promontory, he'll be dashing himself upon rocks sure to shiver him.
There's my fear. If I might take him this...?' Patrick pleaded with the
miniature raised like the figure of his interrogation.
Caroline's inward smile threw a soft light of humour over her features
at the simple cunning of his wind-up to the lecture on his country's
case, which led her to perceive a similar cunning simplicity in his
identification of it with Philip's. It startled her to surprise, for
the reason that she'd been reviewing his freakish hops from Philip to
Ireland and to Adiante, and wondering in a different kind of surprise,
how and by what profitless ingenuity he contrived to weave them
together. Nor was she unmoved, notwithstanding her fancied perception
of his Jesuitry: his look and his voice were persuasive; his love of his
brother was deep; his change of sentiment toward Adiante after the
tale told him by her old nurse Jenny, stood for proof of a generous
manliness.
Before she had replied, her uncle entered the armoury, and Patrick was
pleading still, and she felt herself to be a piece of damask, a very
fiery dye.
To disentangle herself, she said on an impulse, desperately
'Mr. O'Donnell begs to have the miniature for his brother.'
Patrick swung instantly to Mr. Adister. 'I presumed to ask for it, sir,
to carry it to Philip. He is ignorant about the princess as yet; he
would like to have a bit of the wreck. I shan't be a pleasant messenger
to him. I should be glad to take him something. It could be
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