ry one must admit that our way of
managing Ireland up to the present has not been fortunate."

"But you wouldn't try experiments with a volcano?"

"I would try any experiment with Ireland which it wants, and which I
did not think dangerous," The Bradder said, and he seemed to be wholly
occupied in trying to say as little as possible without appearing to be
ashamed or afraid of his opinions.

"So you are a Radical, but not a Home-Ruler. Well, from the look of
you, I should never have thought it. You can go if you like, Godfrey;
I should be glad to talk to Mr. Bradfield for a few minutes; he is the
first Radical I have ever liked," and he smiled at The Bradder,
anticipating triumph.

I did not go, and I am glad that I stayed, for both of them had to
fight hard to keep their tempers, and their struggles fascinated me.
From the beginning The Bradder made up his mind to treat the duel
lightly, but my father pressed him hard, and occasionally provoked a
retort which flashed. For more than an hour they talked, and indignant
servants, showing heads of expostulation, had to go away unnoticed.
But The Bradder met explosions with what my father called afterwards
rank obstinacy, and the man who explodes is naturally angry if he
cannot get some one to explode back at him.

"The Warden, from what I have heard of him, would not approve of your
opinions," my father said at last.

"He does not meddle with our politics," The Bradder answered.

"He's a wise man," my father returned, and The Bradder laughed.

"The Warden talks about politicians as if they were an army of
tuft-hunters, hunting for tufts which they will never find. He refuses
to speak seriously about politics."

"The habit of being amused at our failures or cynical about them is
becoming too common."

I could not help smiling at the quickness with which the Warden had
been toppled off his seat of wisdom, and my father pushed his chair
back impatiently.

"The Warden is, I believe, a strong Tory, and reserves his contempt for
what he calls 'modern politicians.'"

"I said he was a wise man," my father replied, and the Warden was
reinstated.

"He is certainly," The Bradder answered, as we went into the
drawing-room.

During the next day I heard from Nina that The Bradder had been
denounced as a very dangerous man, all the more dangerous because he
was so attractive.

"Father wants him to go," she said.

"He will have to go soon, because term begins in a