e, "I reckon
you'll have the chance of handing yourself over to a British Admiral
before long."

"Have you any reason to suppose that the Fleet--?" said Moyne.

"We're ready for them," said Malcolmson. "If the Government thinks it
can force Home Rule on Ulster with the guns of the Channel Fleet, it's
making a big mistake. It'll find that out before long."

"If you like, Lord Moyne," said Conroy, "we'll put you under arrest
and then nobody will be able to hold you responsible afterwards for
anything that happens. You'll be quite safe."

Whatever Moyne's motives may have been in wishing to surrender
himself, I am perfectly sure that a desire for his own safety was not
one of them. I imagine that he hoped, in a confused and troubled way,
to get himself somehow on the side of law and order again. Moyne was
never meant to be a rebel.

Conroy's words were insulting, intentionally so, I think. He wished to
get rid of Moyne before the committee discussed the defence of Belfast
against the Fleet. He may have wished to get rid of me too. He
succeeded. Moyne is not nearly so thorough-going a patrician as his
wife; but he has sufficient class pride to dislike being insulted by a
millionaire. He got up and left the room. He looked so lonely in his
dignified retirement that I felt I ought to give him such support as I
could. I rose too, took his arm, and went out with him.

CHAPTER XXIII

People who organize and carry through revolutions generally begin by
cutting the telegraph wires, with a view to isolating the scene of
action. I cannot help thinking that this is a mistake. We kept our
telegraph offices open day and night, and I am strongly of opinion
that we gained rather than lost by our departure from the established
ritual of revolutions. The news which came to us from England was
often encouraging, and generally of some value. Nor do I think that
the Government gained any advantage over us by the messages which
Clithering as their agent, or Bland and others in their capacity of
public entertainers, sent from Belfast to London.

When Moyne and I got back to our hotel we found two long telegrams and
one short one waiting for us. The first we opened was from Lady Moyne.
She had, it appeared, spent a very strenuous day. She caught the Prime
Minister at breakfast in his own house, and probably spoiled his
appetite. She ran other members of the Cabinet to earth at various
times during the day. One unfortunate man s