r all that were
unhappy. To her God made the world beautiful: man was responsible for
its hideousness. From her heart she pitied mankind for abusing the
gifts God had showered on them.

It was on her first home-coming since her mother's death that her
attention was really drawn to her father's Irish possessions.

By a curious coincidence she returned home the clay following
Wilberforce Kingsnorth's electrical speech, invoking Providence to
interpose in the settlement of the Irish difficulty. It was the one
topic of conversation throughout dinner. And it was during that dinner
that Angela for the first time really angered her father and raised a
barrier between them that lasted until the day of his death.

The old man had laughed coarsely at the remembrance of his speech on
the previous night, and licked his lips at the thought of it.

Monica, who was visiting her father for a few days smiled in agreeable
sympathy.

Nathaniel nodded cheerfully.

From her father's side Angela asked quietly:

"Have you ever been in Ireland, father?"

"No, I have not," answered the old man sharply: "And, what is more, I
never intend to go there."

"Do you know anything about, the Irish?" persisted Angela.

"Do I? More than the English government does. Don't I own land there?"

"I mean do you know anything about the people?" insisted Angela.

"I know them to be a lot of thieving, rascally scoundrels, too lazy to
work, and too dishonest to pay their way, even when they have the
money."

"Is that all you know?"

"All!" He stopped eating to look angrily at his daughter. The
cross-examination was not to his liking.

Angela went on

"Yes, father; is that all you know about the Irish?"

"Isn't it enough?" His voice rose shrilly. It was the first time for
years anyone had dared use those two hated words "Ireland" and "Irish"
at his table. Angela must be checked and at once.

Before he could begin to check her, however, Angela answered his
question:

"It wouldn't be enough for me if I had the responsibilities and duties
of a landlord. To be the owner of an estate should be to act as the
people's friend, their father, their adviser in times of plenty and
their comrade in times of sorrow."

"Indeed? And pray where did you learn all that, Miss?" asked the
astonished parent.

Without noticing the interruption or the question, Angela went on:

"Why deny a country its own government when England is practically
governed by its