fore we leave Hamburg. Very civil of him."

"It's a civility we could do without. When I'm doing business I'd rather
do it with business men, and a baron, you'll understand, is no just----"

"I'm a baron myself," said Lord Dunseverick.

"Ay, you are."

McMunn said no more. He left it to be understood that his opinion
of barons in general was not improved by his acquaintance with Lord
Dunseverick.

"I don't think we need bother about Von Eddstein, anyway," said Lord
Dunseverick. "What harm can he do us?"

"I'm no precisely bothering about him," said McMunn; "but I'd be easier
in my mind if I knew what he wanted with us."

"We sail to-night, anyway," said Lord Dunseverick.

"Ay, we do. I tell't Ginty. He's the captain of _The McMunn Brothers_,
and a good man."

"I've met him. In fact----"

"If you've met Ginty you've met a man who knows his business, though I
wish he'd give over drinking whisky. However, he's a strong Protestant
and a sound man, and you can't expect perfection."

"Capital!" said Lord Dunseverick. "It's a great comfort to be sure of
one's men."

"I wish I was as sure of every one as I am of Ginty," said McMunn. "I'm
no saying that your lordship's not sound. The speech you made last night
at Ballymena was good enough, and I'm with you in every word of it;
but----"

"Oh, speeches!" said Lord Dunseverick.

He was uneasily conscious that he had allowed himself to be carried away
by the excitement of the occasion when speaking at Ballymena. It was
right and proper to threaten armed resistance to Home Rule. It was
another thing to offer a warm welcome to the German Emperor if he
chose to land in Ulster. The cold emphasis with which McMunn expressed
agreement with every word of the speech made Lord Dunseverick vaguely
uneasy.

"Ay," said McMunn; "your speeches are well enough, and I don't say, mind
you, that you're not a sound man; but I'd be better pleased if you were
more serious. You're too fond of joking, in my opinion."

"Good heavens!" said Lord Dunseverick. "I haven't ventured on the ghost
of a joke since I came into your office!" He looked round him as he
spoke, and fixed his eyes at last on the fireproof safe. "Nobody could."

"It's no what you've said, it's your lordship's appearance. But it's too
late to alter that, I'm thinking."

"Not at all," said Lord Dunseverick. "I'll join you this evening in
a suit of yellow oilskins, the stickiest kind, and a blue fisherman's
jersey, and