of Nationalist Ireland at a heavy
price when the guns of her Fleet annihilated the loyalty of Ulster.'
That's your idea."

"You've got it exactly," I said.

"I'll send it off at once."

"Yes. You'd better hurry. It's almost certain to occur to Babberly,
and the moment it does he'll put it into a speech. If he does, the
whole credit will go to him."

This impressed Bland. He hurried away towards the post-office. I felt
that I was not likely to get anything more out of the statue. I put a
small bit of it in my pocket to keep as a souvenir, and then strolled
along Donegal Place.

I met Crossan, who saluted me gravely.

"The provisional Government," he said, "desires your lordship's
presence in the City Hall."

"I'm glad there's a provisional Government," I said. "We want
something of the sort. Do you happen to know if I'm a member of it?"

"I've been looking for you, my lord," said Crossan, severely, "for
over an hour, and there's no time to waste."

I hurried off. The Government, after driving off the British Fleet,
was likely to be in a good temper, but I did not wish to keep it
waiting for me too long.

When I entered the room I found Conroy, McNeice, Malcolmson, Cahoon
and the Dean seated at the table. Moyne was not there.

"I congratulate you, gentlemen," I said, "on the result of the
naval engagement. Malcolmson was perfectly magnificent. It was you,
wasn't it, who--?"

"I didn't see anything magnificent about it," said Malcolmson,
sulkily.

"We're damned well sick of being played with," said McNeice.

"If the English Government means to fight us--" said the Dean,
speaking explosively.

"Do you mean to say," I said, "that you think the Admiral was not in
earnest in that bombardment?"

"No more than the soldiers were yesterday," said McNeice. "They fired
over our heads."

"And we're not going to stand any more fooling," said Malcolmson.

"We're business men," said Cahoon, "and this sort of play-acting won't
do for Belfast."

"Your boss politicians," said Conroy, "have been flooding us out with
telegrams."

There was a large pile of telegrams in front of him and some forty or
fifty loose sheets of flimsy yellow paper were scattered about the
table.

"Their notion," said Conroy, "is that we should send a man over to
negotiate."

"An ambassador," I said, "Plenipotentiary?"

"Lord Moyne won't go," said the Dean.

"He's the proper man," I said. "Let's try to persuade him."

"He's up at