them, the great inspiring chants of the
heroes of old. I shall awake them to a sense of their high destiny.
I shall set the young men's feet marching, thousands and thousands of
them. I shall fill the women's hearts with pride."

Then, for the first and only time since I have known him, Gorman's
patience gave way. I do not blame him. The thought of Mrs. Ascher as an
Irish peasant, singing street ballads outside public houses, would have
upset the temper of Job.

"That's all very well," he said, "but the other people have the guns."

"We must have guns, too," said Mrs. Ascher, "and shining swords and long
spears tipped with light. Buy guns."

With a really impressive gesture she dragged the rings from the fingers,
first of one hand, then of the other, and flung them on the ground at
Gorman's feet. Even when working in her studio Mrs. Ascher wears a great
many rings.

"Buy. Buy," she said.

She unclasped the necklace which she wore and flung it down beside the
rings. It was a pearl necklace, but not by any means the handsomest
pearl necklace she owned.

"More," she said, "you must have more."

She pranced out of the room, stepping high, like an actress taking a
part in one of Shakespeare's plays or a well-bred carriage horse.

"Gorman," I said, "you're not going to take her wedding ring, are you?
I don't think you ought to. Ascher's really fond of her and I'm sure he
wouldn't like it."

"I wish to goodness," said Gorman, "that she wouldn't behave in this
wild way. If she wants to subscribe to the party funds why doesn't she
write a cheque instead of shying jewellery at me? I should certainly
be arrested on suspicion if I went to try and pawn those things. Nobody
would believe that she gave them to me."

He picked up the rings as he spoke and laid them in a row on the table.

"If we don't get her stopped," he said, "she'll have everybody laughing
at us."

"Laughing at you, Gorman, not at me. I've nothing to do with the poetic
soul of Ireland. It's your property."

"The English have no real sense of humour," said Gorman.

"They've got quite enough to see this joke," I said. "An owl would
giggle if it saw Mrs. Ascher going barefoot about Ireland and you
following her round carrying a long spear tipped with light in your
hand."

"We must stop her," said Gorman. "Oh, damn! Here she is again."

Mrs. Ascher came in carrying a large morocco leather covered box, her
jewel case, I suppose. She was a little ca