th painful results. Trusting in my luck, I entered a
narrow corridor, some fifteen feet long, with doors on each side, and
one at the opposite end. That must open on the assembly room. No, it
only led to another flight of outside steps, and here it was
comforting to observe that the drop might be into the soft soil of a
garden, instead of a bricked yard. But where was the great meeting?

Once more I left the Hall and spoke my rugged friends. Yes, it was
after eight, but the people wanted a bit of margin. Half-past eight
was the time intended. Half-an-hour's march around, and back again.
The crowd was swelled from two to three persons. Fifteen minutes more,
and further inquiry.

"When will the meeting begin."

"When the people comes."

"But they're an hour late already."

"Sure ye can't hurry thim."

At 9.15 I went again.

"Meeting begun yet?" I asked.

"Just startin' now. The praste's afther goin' in."

"You're rather unpunctual."

"Arrah, how would we begin widout his Rivirince!" This was
unanswerable. Once more into the breach, up the lonely shivery steps.
This time I heard voices, and opening a door found a narrow room with
about twenty people therein. The show was just agoing to begin, for,
as I entered, somebody proposed that the Priest should take the chair.
A short, stout, red faced man, with black coat and white choker,
seemed to expect no less, and moved into the one-and-ninepenny Windsor
with alacrity. He spoke with the vilest, boggiest kind of brogue, and
the hideous accent of vulgar Ulster; calling who "hu" with a French u,
should "shoed," and pronouncing every word beginning with un as if
beginning with on--ontil, onless, ondhersthand, ondhertake. "Ye'll
excuse me makin' a spache, fur av I did I'd make a varry bad one,"
said the holy man, and the audience seemed to believe him. Enrolment
was the order of the day, and the thousands were requested to come
forward. A man next me went to the front and paid a shilling,
receiving in return a green ticket, with Ireland a Nation printed at
the top. He twirled it round and round, and seemed disappointed to
find there was nothing on the other side. The secretary encouraged the
meeting by the official statement that the local Featheration now
numbered nearly sixty members, whereat there was great rejoicing, the
masses (to the number of twenty) working off their emotion by thumping
their heels on the floor. The meeting, after this exultant outburst,
got s